The Ever After
by InsaneOnTheInside
Summary: Sequel to The Newbie! Life continuing on with Lexi's pregnancy and the obstacles that come with it. Set in Season 13, no dates match up though, sorry. R&R!:)
1. The Clock Doesn't Stop Turning

**A/N: Don't own CSI. And welcome, dear friends, to the sequel of The Newbie: The Ever After.**

I sat at the breakfast table with the team, everyone joking and laughing. Even Greg had managed to pull his attention from me for a moment and make a snarky comment to Finn.

But I was not a happy camper.

I was hungry. I wanted 4 blueberry pancakes with strawberry syrup and whip cream, along with a glass of Mountain Dew. I had ordered that minutes ago, earning odd looks from the entire team. Greg had saved my ass and said that we had both skipped dinner last night, but really, I just wanted to eat. Already 2 months and 1 maternity appointment into this pregnancy thing, I was hardly showing. And the little that I was, no one seemed to notice. Except Doc Robbins, who was always studying me when I came in to see a victim.

The waitress set my order down first, and I sighed in relief. I took a bite of the pancake immediately, relaxing at the warmth and flavor it contained when combined with whip cream and strawberry syrup. "Oh my God, this is so good," I whispered, leaning my head against Greg's shoulder. He raised a cautious eyebrow at me, and I shrugged. "Aren't you hungry too?"

"Not that hungry," he mused, and I rolled my eyes, taking another bite of my pancake. "Save room for lunch today, Lex."

I glared at him before taking a sip of my Mountain Dew, and Sara narrowed her eyes at me. "Lexi, didn't you just drink like 4 cans of those tonight?"

"I like them, sue me," I grumbled, returning to my food slowly. "Besides, I need to eat more, according to Greg."

There was an unexplainable silence around the table, and I looked up as I swallowed. Greg was wide-eyed, and I scanned everybody's faces. Morgan looked surprise, Nick confused, Sara smug, DB was just giving Greg this weird look, and Finn was grinning. "And why does Greg suggest that?" Nick asked, scratching the back of his head. "What am I missing here?"

I went wide-eyed as well, now realizing what I had just given away. "Ah, dammit," I sighed, trying to distract myself by taking another bite of pancake. I pointed my fork at Greg. "I told you this is how they'd find out, didn't I?"

"You did," he agreed, his voice faltering. "They had to find out sooner or later."

"Find out what?" Nick exclaimed, setting his piece of bacon down. "Is everyone in on something I don't know about?"

"No, I'm on the same page as you, Nick," Morgan agreed, crossing her arms. "What's going on that we don't know about? We're your best friends, you're keeping secrets?"

"Well, it's kind of news to us as well," Greg said, motioning between he and I. "I think Lex has made it sufficiently obvious-"

"Hey, I wanna tell them," I whined, and he stopped short. "Please?"

"Yours to tell, not mine," he sat, patting my knee. I unwillingly blushed, and cleared my throat.

"I'm kind of pregnant."

The silence resumed around the table, and I glanced over at Greg. He was watching their reactions carefully. The only different expression was Finn's, and she was still grinning. Everyone else was gaping at us. "Kind of?" Morgan asked, swallowing. "How much is kind of?"

"2 months," I answered, and quickly returned to my food. There was silence again, and I lifted my head up. "Please direct all questions to Greg here, as he is the master at handling everything."

"Just because I got you ice cream at 2 am _one time _doesn't mean I get to be interrogated," he mumbled, and I grinned. "You're the one toting our baby around."

"How did this happen?" Nick asked, staring at the two of us with eyes the size of my pancakes.

"Well, Nick, when a guy and girl have sex-" I began, causing Greg to blush and Nick to interrupt me.

"No, I get that part. I guess I just can't believe it. I don't really know what to say," he said, shaking his head and staring at the table.

"How about congratulations?" Russell suggested, clapping Greg's back. "How exciting, you guys!"

"Thanks," Greg said, grinning at him. "We're both really excited."

"I'm sure," Finn spoke up, and wiggled her eyebrows at me. "And thus, the second cycle or rabbithood is formed."

"Oh God," I laughed, and even Greg gave a nervous chuckle. "You _would _bring that up, Finn."

"Yeah, congrats," Sara said with a broad, gap-toothed smile. "How'd Mrs. Sanders take it?"

Greg and I exchanged a look of discomfort before he intertwined our fingers. "We didn't exactly tell my mom, not just yet." Even Russell's jaw dropped a little, and I took yet another bite of my blueberry pancake. "I'm sure she'll react just fine though."

"Oh yeah, Mrs. Sanders will be completely okay with her unmarried son and his girlfriend having a kid," Nick mumbled, and I glared at him. "What? You know she won't be happy."

"We're _going _to get married, Nick," I snapped, and scooted my Mountain Dew closer to me. "But not because I'm pregnant."

"Sure, sure, you get knocked up an all of a sudden the wedding bells start ringing? Still mean nothing?" he sneered, and I closed my eyes, rubbing the bridge of my nose in attempt to keep the tears prickling my eyes to stay where they were. "Don't be stupid, Lexi. She's going to think you're not fit to be parents, and quite frankly, why should she think otherwise?"

Greg squeezed my hand, and I looked to where he was glaring. "Can't you just be supportive, dammit?" he seethed, and I looked over at Morgan. She was giving me this look that was a mix of sympathy and excitement. "We'll both be great parents."

"I agree with Greg, Nick," Russell said quietly, and I felt bad that everyone else had to be witness to Nicks' pure stupidity and ignorance of the situation.

"It's nothing against you Greg," Nick continued on, and Morgan's head snapped in his direction. "But do you really want a trigger happy mother around your kid?"

The low-blow really hit me hard, and Morgan immediately stood up. "Lexi, let's go. Right now." She instructed, taking me and pulling me away from them quickly. I didn't even look at Greg as I grit my teeth in anger. Walking out of the diner, she pulled me towards her own Denali.

"What was that for?" I asked, feeling out of breath. "I'm walking for two here."

"I just wanted to get you out of there, before you killed him," she explained, and leaned against her car. "When did you guys actually plan on telling us, Lexi?"

The hot morning heat of July seemed to be putting me on the spot. "Soon, I swear," I promised her, and I touched my stomach carefully. "Things have just been hard for Greg and I both."

"I get it," she said understandingly, but her fists were still clenched. "Nick should really learn to control the shit he says."

"I'm not trigger-happy," I muttered in agreement, and she nodded. "I just have good aim."

"He was wrong to say that, Lex," she said quietly, and looked at my stomach. "You're gonna be a damn good mom."

"I hope so," I sighed, and bit my lip. "Didn't get to finish my pancakes."

She laughed, and right on cue, Greg stormed out of the diner with Sara behind him. "Oh, lucky you," Morgan sighed, ruffling my hair. "You get to deal with angry Greg."

"Sometimes I think _he's _the pregnant one," I whispered as Greg approached us, and she turned away to stifle a laugh. "Calm down, please?"

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, doing a once-over on me. I raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I replied, reaching out and taking his hand. "I'm totally fine, Greg."

"Nick was being a jerk, Lex," Sara spoke up, leaning against the hood of the Denali next to Morgan. "He was only saying that because he was angry."

"About what?" I exclaimed, anger rising inside me. "I've never done anything to him! I just don't get why he hates me!"

"I don't really understand either, Lex," Greg said, rubbing my back. "Let's go home though. I'll make you pancakes."

"Good, because I'm still hungry," I laughed, and got into the passengers seat. As soon as I could see Sara and Morgan retreating back towards the diner, and Greg had rolled our window up, I turned to him. "We really should tell your mom."

…

The ringing was taking an hour.

Well, not an hour, but you know what I mean. A long time.

"Hello?" she answered, sounding tired. I felt bad, every time we called her she was usually sleeping. I guess old people have the advantage to sleep in all day.

"Mom?" Greg asked, and I could hear the slight tightness in his voice, like he was nervous. And while he was a little worried about her reaction, I was nearly shaking to death.

"Oh Gregory, it's so good to hear from you!" she said happily, and I heard her clap her hands together. "How are you, sweetie?"

"I'm, uh, I'm great, Mom," he said uneasily, and I stared at the phone. "Lexi's on speaker phone too."

"Oh hello, Lexi!" she said, even sounding cheerful for me. "Is there something important you're calling me about? It's July sweetie, I'm stuck in the house all day and let me tell you, your father doesn't believe in air conditioners, and the phone is so far away from my box fan, Gregory-"

Greg sighed and rubbed his temples in clear annoyance. "Mom, we kind of have important news."

"-and I told your father that I was going to have a heat stroke if he didn't let me turn it on. Nana Olaf agrees with me, the heat is unbearable. But what about you, back in the desert? Are you staying cool? You're not getting dehydrated, are you?"

"We're fine, Mom," he said abruptly, clearly frustrated. "But as I've tried to tell you, we have important news."

"Which would be what?" she said curiously. "Are you two running away to get married without your father and I?"

"No," Greg answered quickly. "We-"

She gasped dramatically, and I laid my head on Greg's shoulder. "Gregory Hojem Sanders, did you get married _already_? Is that what it is?"

"No Mom, we're not married," he snapped, and there was silence. "Lexi has something she'd like to tell you."

I felt my blood run cold. I wasn't really expecting Greg to have me tell her, she was _his _mother, of course. "Um, well, I'm pregnant."

The words echoed throughout the silent room, and I pursed my lips in awaiting for a response. Greg glanced between myself and the phone nervously.

"You're- you're pregnant?" she uttered, and I bit my lip in feeling guilty.

"Yeah, I am," I said, subconsciously touching my stomach.

"How far along?" she asked, and there was shuffling in the background.

"Just 8 weeks," I answered, and Greg reached out to hold my hand. "Look, I'm sorry if we didn't exactly-"

"Would you please give the phone to Gregory?" she hissed angrily, and I raised my eyebrows is surprise. I handed the phone to Greg, who took it off speaker and pressed it to his ear. I laid down on my back, feeling like I could just fall asleep then and there. I decided against it and watched Greg as he spoke with his mother. He looked torn and unsure of something, but I couldn't figure out what.

"It wasn't planned, Mom," he said softly, his voice cracking. "I know I screwed a lot up, but you have to embrace it more than look at it in a negative context."

There was talking so loud I could hear some of it, and I gripped my hair in frustration. "Yes, Mom. I understand you're upset but-" he was cut off, and he placed a hand against his forehead. "I'm sorry, Mom." Angry yelling resumed, and I sat up in surprise. The voice was deeper and more recognizable as Greg's fathers tone.

"Can't…can't you just be supportive of the whole thing?" Greg sighed, and I rubbed my stomach.

"Don't worry, baby, Mommy and Daddy love you," I whispered to my unresponsive stomach. I felt terrible. If the situation didn't improve, I'd be bringing my child into a world full of controversy and problems. "Everyone else will too. Just give them some time."

"Dammit, Dad, just get over it!" Greg seethed, and I looked over at him. "I'm 34, that's something you worry about in high school!"

There was more yelling, and I took a deep breath before closing my eyes and listening carefully. But there was no more speaking from the other end, and I opened just one eye to peak at Greg. His jaw was hanging open slightly as if in confusion for what to say. "Have Mom call me when you figure out whether you wanna be in my kids life," he finally croaked out, and I shut my eye, letting darkness surround me and Greg's voice float through the air. "Because I will not put Lexi through that."

And with that, I heard him hang up. He leaned over and kissed my forehead gently before lying down next to me. "I didn't know so many people would be so disapproving," I mused, opening my eyes. I avoided looking at him, and instead stared at the ceiling. "It's a shame."

"It's because we've been dating for 9 months," he said quietly, and I glanced over at him. He looked hurt and confused, like he couldn't figure out what to say. "Just because we screwed up, doesn't mean we're the worst people in the world."

"Exactly," I breathed in agreeance. "I don't think all this hate and criticism can last forever though."

"I'm just going to expect Nick and my parents to get over it," he muttered, and leaned over so he was lying his head on a single hand. "People that care about us the most, yet the most critical."

"I wouldn't necessarily say that," I said. "Nick could care less about me. He hates me, remember?"

"I really don't think he hates you, Lex," he groaned. "I've never seen him act so harsh, actually. I don't know what drives him to be like that towards you, but I think he's just frustrated with _me_."

"Why?" I said through gritted teeth. _"Why _would he care?"

"He just cares about me, Lexi, he doesn't want me doing anything stupid," he assured me, scooting over closer and brushing my hair out of my face. "It's not you."

"That's not what it seems to be," I grumbled, and he slipped a hand up my shirt, gazing it along my stomach. "Quit that, I'm sensitive."

"Hardly even a bump," he chuckled, and pulled his hand away. "I really hope it's a boy."

"Two of you would kill me," I told him seriously, and he blushed slightly. "But if it makes you feel any better, a little boy _would _be cute."

"Don't you have some baby doctor appointment at the end of this month?" he yawned, slipping his arms around my upper abdomen. "To check on Gregorina?"

"Yes, the 29th," I answered, and he smiled softly. "You gonna be there for this one?"

He sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry I missed the last one, Lex, you know I am."

"Yeah, I know, just giving you a hard time," I promised, and ran a hand across his face. "What'd your parents say that pissed you off?"

He took a deep breath. "I don't want to stress you out, Lex. It doesn't matter."

"It does to me!" I insisted, and he bit his lip. "It won't upset me, Greg. Just tell me."

"My mom was angry because I wasn't married, which like Nick said, was to be expected," he answered, looking away from me. "And my Dad gave the whole rant about not using condoms."

"Well at the time this really wasn't what we worried about…" I mumbled, and I relaxed, as if I was finally admitting to it. "That was all he said?"

"He said you should look into getting an abortion," he said, his jaw clenched in apparent anger. "I told him there was no way in hell I would put you through that."

And before I could stop myself, tears of hormones were flowing down my cheeks. Maybe I shouldn't blame them all on hormones, because I think part of me was crying for the sake of the overwhelming disapproval I had received, and another part of me was crying because I just wanted everything to be okay, and for us and this baby to be accepted.

…

Fiddling with the sleeves of my shirt, I hurried into Hodges lab. I needed the trace results so I could finally put this stupid B & E to rest. Seriously, some 40 year old dooface had forged his own house break in. I guess, like Russell had once told me, you see something new every day.

"Ah, Lexi!" Hodges said from where he was sitting in a chair, scanning through pictures on his laptop. "Your file is on the counter, white substance was cocaine, which I do believe Henry told me your vic was very high on, correct?"

"That would be correct," I said distantly, still reading through the file. "That carpet fiber was laced with _vodka_?"

"That would be a yes," Hodges said, and I glanced up from the file. His eyes were glued to the computer screen. Sneaking up behind him, I narrowed my eyes.

"Love letters?" I guessed, and he immediately pulled the screen down. "You and Stacy?"

"Not exactly," he said uneasily, and I felt my stomach growl. "Stacy and I aren't dating anymore."

"Yeah, always knew she was out of your league," I said bluntly, and looked around. "You got any goldfish?"

He paused and quirked an eyebrow. "Did you really just ask me for that?"

"The child like snack, yes," I said, looking under some files. The man had to eat at some point or another. I carefully pulled out a still hot to go bag for Tasty Time. I smiled and licked my lips. "This'll do."

"You can't just steal my food!" he complained as I walked out of the room, examining the contents. A cheeseburger, fries and even a milkshake. "Theft!"

"Ah, yes it is!" I called back, sipping on the untouched chocolate milkshake. Of all times I had been repulsed by both Greg and Morgan's love for chocolate milkshakes, this was not it. I entered the break room, dropping the file in front of Finn. "Guy was a coke addict, we were right. But vodka on the carpet fibers."

"I even got an explanation for that. Henry estimates he was legally drunk about 4 hours before we got there, he must have spilled some," she chuckled, glanced up at me. "Is that Hodges's food?"

"Yes," I said through a mouth full of fries. "It is. And you know, I really try to cut back on what I eat because of gestational diabetes, but god this is _so _good."

"I see," she said wearily, nodding slowly. "Way to look out for your fetus."

"I'm referring to it as the baby, and Greg is calling it Gregornia," I informed her, sipping on the milkshake once more. "But I thought I heard him call it a spebarn this morning, so I don't really know."

"English please?" she sighed, eyeing my food.

"Baby in Norwegian." I explained shortly, and felt two hands on my shoulders. "Hi there."

"You got Tasty Time and didn't offer me any?" Greg whined, and I handed him the chocolate milkshake reluctantly. He snatched it out of my hands, and I cleaned up my mid-night snack mess. "This is half-empty, Lex."

"Because I drank the first half, genius," I reminded him, tossing some trash in the garbage can. "I stole it from Hodges."

"I see," Greg mused, and set the milkshake down cautiously. "Do you know if he finished my trace yet?"

"Don't have a clue," I said, leaning back in my chair as I settled down. "You should really ask him that."

And with perfect timing, Hodges entered the room. He was openly glaring at me, and turned to face Greg. "You are the reason she's been stealing my food," he accused, pointing a finger at him. "Getting her pregnant and such."

Finn and I exchanged bewildered looks, and she gaped at him. "Where do you hear these things, Hodges?"

"A man can tell by the way a woman walks away from him, Finn." He said impatiently.

"So you were checking out my girlfriends ass, Hodges?" Greg confirmed, and Hodges blushed wildly.

"More like I saw her trying not to puke her guts out a few hours ago," he explained quickly, and checked his watch. "Morning sickness, right on cue as well."

"Sorry," I said quietly, my own cheeks turning red. "The smell of cigarettes from the last case made me feel sick."

"Do you need to go home?" Greg asked worriedly, immediately examining me. "Because I can drive you right now-"

"I'm perfectly fine," I said, feeling exasperated. "You don't need to treat me differently just because I am going to look like a whale in 7 months."

"How come you didn't tell any of us lab rats, Lexi?" Hodges asked, sounding legitimately offended. "We would have liked to know."

"We got a cold shoulder from a few people, and I guess we figured you already knew?" I tried, and Hodges shook his head. "I'm sorry Hodges. But you know now, and that's what matters, right?"

Just as he was about to answer, Nick walked into the break room, and an awkward silence fell onto our group. "Hodges, don't you have trace to be working on?" Sara asked, entering after Nick. "I still didn't get the results from what was in my old woman's drink."

"Right, I'll get on that," he said, hurrying out the door. Greg cleared his throat awkwardly before pecking my cheek and hurrying out the door. Leaving just Nick and I.

I got up hurriedly, running a hand through my hair and hoping Nick wouldn't say anything.

Wrong.

"How are you feeling?" he asked quietly, turning around and crossing his arms as he leaned against the counter. I pursed my lips and nodded slowly.

"I've felt better," I answered truthfully, and he raised an eyebrow. "The random puking isn't exactly enjoyable."

He smirked. "I wouldn't imagine so. But isn't that stuff only for like the first 3 months?"

"The first trimester," I corrected, and he rolled his eyes. "But yes."

He paused and nodded slowly. "I'm sorry about what I said, Lex," he apologized, scratching the back of his head. "I didn't mean it in such a mean way, I just…am confused."

"You and I both," I said softly, looking away from his gaze. "I'm still trying to make sense of this."

"Are we cool?" he asked, motioning between the two of us. I narrowed my eyes and shook my head.

"Do you have any idea the hell Greg's been going through?" I said through gritted teeth. "The amount of pain he's been dealing with because his own parents don't even know if they can be supportive? You're little opinion blurt really didn't help anything."

"How many times do I have to apologize, Lexi?" he said, sounding exasperated.

"Sometimes an apology doesn't fix everything, Nick." I said, walking out of the break room at the smell of coffee.

**A/N: SO EXCITED! I love sequels.:) What do we think though? I would also like to put out there that Nick is in a darker place this season than he has ever been, so thus explains his moodiness and issues!:( Nick, come back to me! Be nice again! **

…**.maybe.**

**Who liked the teams reactions? Did you find them suitable or off character? And who wants to help themselves to another serving of Greg/Lexi Romance next chapter? *waves hand in the air wildly*. I understand that this first chapter didn't exactly come out with a BANG! Like The Newbie did, but please forgive me because most of these readers are hopefully former followers of TN? **

***cue that little voice that the sales call ladies have* If you just read this chapter and faced mass confusion, please redirect yourself to my profile and spend quite a bit of time reading The Newbie, installment one of my Greg/Lexi ship.**

**REVIEW EVERYONE! REVIEEWWWW!**

**Thanks, you rock.:)**


	2. Cupid's Chokehold on Me

**A/N: Don't own CSI. And by the way, sorry for the late update. I've been swamped, and once I finally settled down I went and bought a bunch of books:D Anyone ever read Confessions of an Angry Girl? Or Kiss and Blog? Gah, teen bookies get to me everytime**** What about Speechless by Hannah Harrington? She wrote Saving June and that was amazing. Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen? Or maybe Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle? Lemme know if you have(:**

**Enjoy!**

"Oh, don't you just love the smell of decomp?" Sara asked, plugging her nose. I followed suit as we walked towards the abandoned boat. "Nice."

And there, still open, was a huge plastic bin, decomp soup staring at us. "We've got a skull," I sighed in defeat, pointing to it as Sara took a picture. I pulled it out of the sloshing mess, frowning in disgust. "This is quite possibly the nastiest thing I've ever seen."

"What? You've never dealt with decomp before?" she laughed, and as if on cue, Greg pulled up in his Denali with Nick beside him.

"Since when was this a whole team kind of a case?" I questioned as they got out of the car. Greg raised his eyebrows from underneath his sunglasses and wordlessly joined Sara and I. "I thought this was our case."

"You guys just got here, huh?" Nick sighed, and we both nodded. "Come here."

And walking to the shore of the boat, Nick leaned down and looked underneath the boat. Sure enough, dried decomp was hardened underneath it, a skeleton of the entire human body underneath it. "Nice," I mused, shining my flashlight underneath. "Okay, boys, work your magic and start scooping!"

"What?" Greg whined, and I rolled my eyes. "Why can't you?"

"Because I'm going to puke if I go down there," I said simply, and he sighed in defeat. "Anyone have any jelly beans? Just the green kind, would be nice."

"I have some in my car, come one" Sara chuckled, and I followed her back to the Denali, noticing Nick roll his eyes. I smirked as I reached the door, watching Sara pull out some jumbo bag of jelly beans. She tossed it to me, and I immediately leaned against the car and picked out the green jelly beans, popping them into my house. "Are you and Greg going to find out the baby's gender, Lex?"

I shrugged. "I want it to be a surprise, but you know Greg. He's gotta plan for everything."

She nodded slowly. "I think I'd want my first child to be a surprise too."

"For right now, we're looking at only child," I breathed, swallowing a jelly bean. "I am not having more than one kid without being married."

"Understandable," she agreed. "Did you hear Ryan Houghton's one of the finalists for the detective position?"

I grinned. "Morgan won't shut up about it, so yeah."

"Are they a thing now?" she asked curiously, and I popped another green one in my mouth without thinking about it.

"I really hope so. They're a cute couple," I said, and handed back the bag of jelly beans. "We should help the guys."

"You go ahead, I'm gonna ask if we can get that boat pulled all the way out of the water," she said, shutting the door of the Denali and walking away. I narrowed my eyes at what they were doing upon hurrying over, but couldn't figure it out. They had already taken pictures, and were now lying on their chests, looking at the decomposed skeleton underneath the boat.

"…and I apologized, man, you know I did," Nick told Greg, and I froze. I tip-toed over to them slowly and silently, them still not noticing me. "I feel awful about what I said."

"Give her time," Greg instructed, and I leaned against a tree, watching them. "She'll get over it."

"And I really don't want to be Uncle Nick that you had to hide from your kid," he continued, and I raised an eyebrow, staring off at the lake in solitude. I subconsciously heard them rambling about pregnancy stuff, and didn't even bother to see them scoot their way out from underneath the boat.

"Lex." Greg's voice said loudly, and I jumped in surprise. "We got the DNA and the skeletal remains for Doc Robbins. Did you and Sara look around for any murder weapons?"

"Well, you kill someone near a lake, you toss the gun in the lake, right?" I said, now thinking. Greg nodded, and I stared out distantly at the mass of water. "I think we need to find out who owns this boat."

"No problem there," Sara announced, reading something from her phone. "19 year old Damian Everscent, some genius who majors in forensic science at the university."

"Wanna get Brass and some uniforms to head over and check his place out?" Nick asked from where he was bagging bone remains from the plastic bin. "God, how did no one smell this before now?"

"Not many people dock their boats on this side of the lake," Greg answered, looking around. "Might be why you don't see any couples walking on the beach."

"We're not on a beach, Greg. We're on a ledge that would kindly throw someone in. And how would you know where people park their boats?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"I'm thinking they were murdered at sea," Nick spoke up suddenly, looking at the scanner on the boat. "At least the guy in the bin. I think the one underneath must have been an accident, the killer apparently didn't even know she was under here."

I clenched my jaw and looked back at the lake. "We won't even know where to start, Nick. And Mandy most likely wouldn't be able to get prints off it anyways."

"We'll get the underwater search camera, start 10 miles out of here," he suggested, pointing out to the middle of the water. "We'll just work from there."

"Oh yeah, sounds like fun," Sara said, holding something up that glittered in the sunlight. "And a great idea, Nick. But unnecessary."

Greg crossed his arms in irritation. "How come you're always the one who finds the fun things?"

"Riley used to find the S&M stuff, we shouldn't complain about Sara," Nick pointed out, and I quirked an eyebrow at Greg.

"Old CSI," he explained shortly, and gazed at the boat with empty eyes. "Now all we need to do is figure out who the vics are."

…

I jerked awake, the phone's obnoxious ringing forcing my eyes to open. I groaned and sat up, crawling over Greg to his nightstand, where the house phone was. "Hello?"

"Oh, hello, Lexi," Greg's mother said awkwardly, and I pushed Greg over, now lying partially on his side. "Is Greg there?"

"Sleeping," I answered, feeling groggy myself. "Want me to take a message?"

"Just…tell him his father and I want a word with him, about the unfortunate situation," she said quietly, and Greg stirred from next to me. "We've just been discussing it for a while, and we have a conclusion we want to present to him."

"Actually, here. He just woke up," I said tightly, and handed Greg the phone, crawling back over to him and lying on my own side. I sighed as there was quick speaking from the other end of the phone, and I check my watch. It was already 5 pm.

"Well, she does live here, so of course she'll answer the phone," he grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Did you need something, mom?"

There was more speaking, and I buried myself under the covers quietly. "Oh, you have an idea for me?" he laughed grimly. "Go ahead, spill."

I snapped my fingers, pointing for him to put the phone on speaker phone. He did so wearily, and I listened intensely. "Greg, your father and I think you should leave the entire situation. Come home, sweetie, to us. You can get a job with the Los Angeles Crime Lab too, if you're so hell bent on being a cop."

There was a filling silence, and I could tell Greg's wheels were turning. The fact that he didn't shout no, or protest in any way at all immediately, worried me. "Get over this," he suddenly said, and I glanced over at the phone. "You're going to be a grandmother, Mom. And I really want you and Dad in my kid's life."

"Son, you're not ready to be a father," his dad said firmly, and I could tell Greg's temper flared.

"Because you were such a good one," he seethed. "You never spent time with me. You were a man more in love with his work more than his family."

"Isn't that what you are?" his father retorted, and I closed my eyes in frustration. "You never call us, ever. We worry, Gregory."

"Am I not fit to be a Dad just because I'm not married? Is that is?" Greg snapped. "Is that the reason? Because let me tell you, that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of."

"Sleeping around and getting a girl knocked up makes you unprepared!" his father finally yelled. "You were always sleeping around in high school, and karma doesn't have to bite you in the ass, Greg! You can come home, get away from it all. Child support checks will be more than enough for that girl, her parents were loaded anyways!"

"I never slept around in high school," Greg growled, his face red with anger. "And she's not just some girl. She's my girlfriend. You've met her, both of you have! And quite frankly, I don't understand, because Mom seemed to love her. Everybody did."

"That was before she was carrying my grandchild," Mrs. Sanders said shakily. "I just don't know if I want you with that kind of a problem, Gregory. I honestly think it's better to leave, honey."

"You can both do me a favor and stay out of my life, if this is how your going to be." Greg said sharply, nearly killing the end button on the phone. I laid perfectly still, watching him roll over and stare at the ceiling. "I hate them so much."

"No, you don't," I whispered, crawling over and lying my head on his shoulder, my hair resting gently on his bare skin. "You're just angry."

"How could they even suggest that?" he asked in disbelief, staring up at the ceiling. "I would never leave you, Lex."

"They just want to protect you," I replied, my eyes drooping back to a close. "That's all, baby."

"You and this baby," he murmured. "Are all that matter to me."

"I think your parents are gonna get over it, give them time," I promised him, inhaling the scent of Blue Hawaiian. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said, and paused. "I think you should forgive Nick."

"I knew that's what you guys were talking about," I revealed, and he kissed the top of my head. "He just…didn't help, really."

He nodded in understanding. "I was mad too."

"You think he's sorry?" I sighed, and he nodded. "Fine, I forgive him."

Greg laughed, squeezing me tightly. "You gotta tell him that, not me."

"Do I have to?" I whined, and he chuckled, leaning over and kissed me firmly on the lips. I kissed him back, flipping on top of him and lying on chest. His hands were getting tangled in my hair, and I pulled away from him. "Trying to screw the pregnant woman?"

He shrugged and let his hands slide down my bare legs, frowning as he tugged on the end of my shorts. "You do know that I hate these, right?"

I snorted. "Of course you do, Greggo."

I laid down on his body completely, wrapping my arms around him and burying my head in the crook of his neck. He chuckled, his chest rumbling. "Can't wait for our little baby, Lexi."

"You sure you want a boy?" I recalled, my voice slightly muffled.

"Yeah," he assured me. "Definitely."

"What about a girl? I want a girl," I pouted, and he slipped his hands up my shirt, rubbing my back.

"A girl would be fine too," he promised sleepily, and I kissed his cheek softly. "She'd look just like you."

"What would we name it?" I yawned, the idea just passing through my head.

"Don't know, Lex," he sighed, and I lifted my head up to look at him properly. "I'll love it either way, no matter what you name it."

…

"Okay, so we got an ID on the vic in the bin," Nick announced, and pointed to the picture of the skeleton laid out on the autopsy table. "His name is Jack Safford, insurance salesman."

"And what about the vic underneath the boat?" Sara asked, pointing to the picture. "Who's that?"

"Well, I believe that is his wife, Shauna? They've both been missing for 2 months now, they got two kids, enemies aren't really an issue." He said with a confused look. "But I am waiting on Greg to hurry up and get those files from the dentists confirming it's her."

"And it is," Greg answered, entering the room and flopping the paper on the table. "Shauna Safford, age 38. Husband Jack is 45, their two kids aren't grown at all. The oldest is a sophomore in high school and the youngest is in 5th grade."

"We're missing a picket fence here," I sighed. "Insurance salesman, stay at home mom and two daughters."

"Who reported them missing in the first place?" Sara inquired, and Greg flipped a sheet of paper.

"Eldest daughter Caitlyn, when they didn't return home after she babysat her younger sister for the night," Greg read, and Nick nodded slowly. "Nothing unusual. CSI's responding to the case assumed they skipped town, they had empty closets and drawers. Kids were put in grandparents custody."

"Who were the responding CSI's, Greg?" Sara asked, and Greg flipped yet another page.

"Morgan and Finn," he replied, handing her the packet. "Reasonable answer, if you ask me."

"But they weren't skipping town, they were most likely dead by then," I grumbled. "Anyone up for going to autopsy with me?"

"Yeah, I'll go," Nick offered, handing the file to Greg and following me out the door. As soon as we were out of earshot, he cleared his throat. "Listen, Lexi, I'm really-"

"I forgive you," I said simply, not even looking over at him. "It's fine, you were just angry."

"Yeah," he said, taking a deep breath. "I really am happy for you and Greg."

"I am too," I said quietly, stopping outside the door of the autopsy room. "We're cool, then?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling. "As long as I get to be Uncle Nick."

I grinned. "Deal, Uncle Nick."

And with that, we both entered the room. Doc Robbins was examining the bodies, Dave peering over his shoulder anxiously. "Any news, Doc?" Nick asked, wearily glancing at the skeletons.

"COD on the male was this," he said, pointing to a clear crack in the skull. "Blunt force trauma to the head. Assuming that he bled out. The wound would almost have to be caused by something metal."

"He stabbed him in the head?" Nick asked in disbelief, and Doc Robbins nodded. "That poor bastard must have done something majorly wrong."

"Stabbing _is _usually a hate crime," Dave spoke up, and I quirked an eyebrow. "Well, it is."

"You're right," I agreed, and stepped over to the woman's body. "What's her story?"

"Looks like she was stabbed in the chest," Doc said, pausing. "The marks on the rib cage show me that much, but I don't have a lot to go off of here."

"We understand," Nick sighed, staring at the skeletons. "I don't think the bloody pocket is what killed them, Lexi."

"You're correct!" Henry said, entering the room. "Sorry, couldn't find you anywhere else. Blood in the knife wasn't a match to either one."

"Then who was it a match to?"

"7 out of 13 epithelial in common," he said, handing Nick the paper. "You have a child on your hands."

…

As Brass noisily knocked on the old woman's door, I stood with my hands stuffed in my jacket pocket, having been freezing cold in the odd weather. Since when was it cloudy and drizzling in the middle of July?

The door creaked open, and a wide-eyed woman stuck her head out the door. She had been to mid-seventies, at least. Her glasses were crooked, her gray hair a mess. I glanced over at Sara, who was wearing a neutral expression. I looked back at the old lady, who was glaring at Brass.

"You do know that it's seven in the morning, sir?" she hissed, and I craned my neck to see the inside of the house. It was perfectly neat; definitely didn't look like kids lived there.

"We've identified your son and his wife, Mrs. Safford," Brass told her seriously, and she narrowed her eyes. "They're dead."

She let out a small gasp, before hurrying back into her house, leaving the door open. There was a slam, and Sara ran in behind Brass. I chose to stay back, and wandered over to where Nick and Greg were poking around.

"Bingo!" Greg exclaimed, picking up a shovel off of the ground. "Looks like blood."

"Nice," I commented, and there was a screaming from inside the house. I sighed and walked back to the porch, Nick speeding past me with his gun drawn. "Oh, yes, the old lady's gonna shoot everyone."

Greg laughed at my sarcasm, taking my hand tugging me up the steps. We reached the steps, and a gunshot rang, piercing the window feet away from us. Greg pulled me away quickly, ending up throwing me against a wall. I gasped at the impact, and we stood in silence. "You okay?" he asked breathlessly, and I nodded.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked angrily, marching through the door with my gun drawn. Greg followed me tightly, as if I was going to slip away from reaching distance.

"We're in here!" Nick's voice called, and Greg and I followed. Brass was holding the old woman, who was now hand-cuffed. Next to them stood a short girl, with stringy red hair and bright green eyes. I quirked my eyebrow at Sara, who watched as Brass drug the old woman away.

"You called backup?" Greg asked, glancing between Sara and the young kid.

"Of course," Nick answered. "Granny tried to get a shot off at us."

"You're lucky she missed," the little girl laughed, grinning from ear to ear. "Gram always shoots out at the range every Wednesday night."

Sara raised a curious eyebrow, her lips twisting into a smile. "You're Adrianna, aren't you?" she asked, and the girl nodded proudly. "5th grader, right?"

"Yep," she said, stuffing her hands in her pajama pants pocket. "That's me."

"Where's Caitlyn?" Nick asked her, peeking around the corner of a room. "Your older sister."

"She's with my parents," Adrianna answered, rolling her eyes. "Gram said she was getting in the way of everything, being so old and stuff."

"She's 15, right?" I spoke up, and she turned to me, nodding.

"Great. Okay, send out a missing persons alert for a Caitlyn Safford. Adrianna, can we please see some pictures?"

Adrianna nodded compliantly and motioned for Nick to follow her into the other room. Once they were out of earshot, Greg took a deep breath. "I really hope she's not with her parents."

"Not yet," I said, marching out the door as the idea struck me. "Not yet."

…

I knocked on the door, having come here alone. The door swung open quickly, revealing a 19 year old boy, his eyes red and puffy, carrying bags underneath them. "My name's Lexi Smith, I'm with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. You're Damian Everscent?"

"Yeah," he said hoarsely, squinting his eyes. "Pretty bright outside for clouds."

"Agreeably," I said quickly, crossing my arms. "You own a boat on the lake, don't you?"

"My parents gave it to me," he answered, leaning against his doorframe. "We use it for fishing every once in a while, they're biting well on that side of the lake this year."

"Interesting," I muttered, nodding. "Who do you get insurance from, for that boat?"

"Farmers," he said, his voice now raising in octaves. "Why?"

"You know that girl that works the receptionists desk sometimes?" I said, frowning and glaring at him. "About 15, red hair?"

He smirked. "Oh believe me, I know who she is. She flirts with me every time I go in. Ain't her dad the insurance salesman himself?"

"That's correct," I credited him. "You're boat's paint got scratched lately?"

He nodded. "Bumped into some rocks when I was trying to park it."

My cell phone rang, with the most inconvenient timing ever. I rolled my eyes at the screen, reading it was Sara. "Give me a minute?" I offered, and he nodded, now stepping out of the house and shutting the door behind him. I hurried off down the driveway, answering my phone. "Smith."

"Where the hell are you?" she snapped, and I ignored her question.

"Was there semen on that boat?" I demanded, and she paused. "Sara?"

"You know, we didn't scan it."

"Where are you?" I sighed, and she was slow to answer again.

"Returning to the scene now, aren't I?" she guessed, and I smiled.

"Scan it for semen, I'm pretty sure you'll find some. Get that to Henry, have him run it against Damian Everscent."

"He openly gave his DNA, though, Lexi," she reminded me. "We didn't find him anywhere on that bin or underneath the boat."

"Did anyone print that knife handle yet?" I asked her anxiously, and she chuckled.

"Our prints were at the bottom of Henry's pile, today," she answered, and I grit my teeth in frustration. "Want me to call him?"

"Yes," I said firmly. "And the semen. Call me back with results."

"Got it. Bye, Lex."

"Bye."

I hung up and returned to where Damian was standing, looking bored with the whole situation. "You took a while," he commented casually, and I shrugged. "Anyways, yeah, I did get my paint scratched on my boat. Damn rocks."

"You went to high school with Caitlyn last year, right?" I asked, and he seemed to think about it for a minute. "She would have been a freshman, if that helps any."

"She was in…my home ec class?" he tried, scrunching his eyebrows. "I don't really remember. But yeah, she was there. That's kind of how I already knew her."

"Bet she loved you pretending you didn't know her at school, huh?" I asked, clenching my jaw. He went to say something, but stopped.

"I gave you all my DNA, lady. What do you need?" he sneered, suddenly impatient with me.

"Caitlyn Safford is missing," I told him. "And guess what? You're the main suspect."

**A/N: I'm sorry if this chapter was mostly focused on this case, I'm just extremely interested with it. But I did give you Greg's parents, and I should get brownie points for that, right?:)**

**Don't worry, the bitchiness of Mr. and Mrs. Sanders will soon end, I promise. I really like Mrs. Sander's character, I think I'm just having her act like this because I know that if I was a mother with a son and pregnant girlfriend, I'd want to protect him. But as we all know, Mrs. Sanders always have and always will be a very extreme person.**

**You guys were amazing last chapter!:) Butttt…..**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

**Thanks everyone.(:**


	3. Death and Dreams

**A/N: Don't own CSI.**

I watched him through the glass, feeling like the clock ticking behind me was sending vibrations through my skin. The door opened, and Morgan walked in briskly, peering into the interview immediately. "I heard you were reopening my missing persons case."

"Yes," I said, watching and motioning for her to be quiet.

"So, you and Caitlyn were a thing, right?" Brass confirmed, and Damian rolled his eyes. After the semen on his boat came back to him, and there was fingerprints of Caitlyn around it, we assumed they'd been there.

"We weren't a thing," he said quietly. "We had sex. That was it."

"That's rape, in 50 states," Brass reminded him, and he shuddered. "Sleeping with a girl under 18."

"We just…we went to the same school, her dad was finalizing my insurance. That's all it was," he mumbled as he looked away. "I will admit that I knew she was missing and didn't say anything."

"You killed her," Brass threw out there, and his eyes widened in anger. "You stabbed her and hid the body, framing the granny in the process."

"It wasn't like that, I swear," he said meekly, his voice sounding desperate and upset. "When her parents went missing, we started talking more."

"Care to further your explanation?" Brass prompted, and Damian sighed in slight defeat.

"Her grandmother was a bitch to her," he said firmly. "She told Caitlyn she was worthless and should just tell her where her parents were. But Caitlyn didn't know. Did you know her grandmother has dementia?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Brass answered, and Damian's eyes flickered up to him. "We read her medical records."

"She killed Jack and Shauna," he told Brass finally, running a hand through his hair. "Jack was showing her my boat, with my permission, of course. I didn't mind, he just took it out a few miles or so."

"Go on," Brass ordered, and Damian rubbed his head.

"They started arguing about something. Shauna and I came out from where we signing paperwork to see, and she just stood in front of the boat at the wrong time is all," he choked out, his voice forming into sobs. "She wasn't supposed to die."

"What happened then? Did you hide the bodies for her?" Brass pestered him, and the kids shoulder shook violently. "Can I get that in writing kid? You're the one who shoved Shauna's body underneath the boat, and you're the one who shoved Jack's into a bin? Because we both know an old woman couldn't do it. Where'd you buy the gloves, that wouldn't leave behind your fingerprints?"

His anger and persistence made Damian sob harder, and I stormed out from the room behind the glass, flinging the door to the interrogation room open instead. Brass looked up at me skeptically, and my hands balled into fists.

"Mind letting me talk to him?" I offered angrily, and Brass narrowed his eyes at me.

"You have 10 minutes before I haul his ass to PD," he snapped, and I nodded. Brass left the room, and I sat down across from Damian.

"You okay?" I whispered, placing a hand on his arm. He recovered slightly, nodding and hurrying to wipe away his tears. "Sorry about him."

"But he was right!" Damian yelled in frustration. "I wore gloves, I hid the bodies!"

I closed my eyes at his confession, clenching my jaw. "Don't say another word."

"No, I did it!" he cried, shaking his head as tears slipped further down his face. "I was so stupid, she killed her anyways!"

My head snapped up from where I was watching the table. "Who killed who anyways?"

"Caitlyn's grandmother!" he screamed in anger. "She saw I watched, and made me do it. She grabbed Caitlyn when she came out, held a gun to her head. Said she'd kill her if I didn't do what she said."

"What did you see in the boat?" I asked him, now scribbling this all down on my notepad. "The murder weapon, maybe?"

"The shovel was there, yes," he replied. "When I did what she told me to, she made me go home and said Caitlyn would be fine. I didn't want to leave, but I thought…I thought if I left her there, that crazy bitch would just let her loose out there on her own, and she'd call me for help."

"Were you planning on sticking around?" I whispered, my words ringing through the walls. "For Caitlyn's baby?"

He closed his eyes and pulled on his hair. "That's why I wanted to find her."

"So you were?" I confirmed, and he nodded. "Way to be a man, Damian."

"I just want to be there for my kid," he whispered back, looking up at me. "How'd you know, though?"

"Pregnancy test was recovered from the trash can at the Safford's house before it was a homicide," I replied, and he nodded solemnly. "Look, if she's still alive, we'll find her. And maybe…maybe I can see what's possible for not having rape pressed against you."

His eyes widened, nodding. "That old lady doesn't remember, ma'am."

"You're very right," I agreed. "But evidence does."

…

"Alright team, we have to work fast," I instructed, looking around at Sara, Greg, Nick, Morgan and Finn. Nick was still pissed, since he was the lead CSI on the case, but I wanted this finished, for me. "Any clues you see as to where her body could be, dead or alive."

"Got it," Finn said, looking around. "Damian said that she held her with a gun to her head, right over here?"

She walked over to some leaves, bending down. "That's where he said they were," I agreed. "Why?"

"She wasn't killed here," Finn told us, looking backwards. "Blood spatter is inconsistent."

"Well it's been two months," Morgan reminded her pointedly, and she nodded. "It was windy last month, too."

"Let's assume she drug her away," Nick said, pointing to the ground. "Lex, you're about the grandmothers size, come here."

"Thanks," I hissed, and he chuckled. "Morgan is Caitlyn, then?"

"Right," he said, and I grabbed her arms from around the back. I struggled as I pulled her away from the sand, eventually slipping and falling. "So she wasn't drug."

"Maybe she walked," I muttered, remembering what Adrianna had told us. "She knew that her grandmother had a good shot."

"Where are you going with this, Lex?" Greg spoke up, and I didn't answer, just walked away, nearly tripping as I jumped off the slight ledge, landing on the sand.

"She forced her into the water," I muttered. "She forced her to drown herself."

"We can't be sure of that," Morgan said, standing next to me. "She might have held her breath and made it out."

"I'm calling for the sheriffs boats and underwater cams," Finn sighed dejectedly, walking away with her cell phone pressed to her ear.

"Stupid old lady," I said under my breath, and Morgan patted my shoulder sympathetically. However, the balance of my feet and her friendly pat sent my flying into the water.

It was ice cold. It stung my skin immediately, and I opened my mouth to gasp for air. I inhaled water instead, and I felt my throat squeeze in lack of oxygen. I reached out, desperately trying to reach the surface of the not-so-shallow-shore, but I was weighed down between my gun, badge, shoes, and belt.

I closed my eyes and the water temperature took over my mentality, and everything seemed slowed. I felt myself drifting, giving up as air evacuated my lungs.

Something grabbed my waist, yanking me upwards. In the moment, I felt that maybe God was yanking me to heaven, but I was wrong. I reached the surface, my eyes snapping open as I instinctively gasped for air, coughing and spluttering uncontrollably.

My lungs were refilled with oxygen, and I looked around wildly. My vision was blurred, I could only hear voices. "Can you hear me?" one shouted loudly. I recognized it as Greg, and fought for my body to at least give him a nod. I couldn't, there was no energy left inside me. "Lexi, please answer me."

I forced my fingers to move, brushing his pant leg. He looked over them, and I moved them again in attempt to get him to know I could hear him. His face became clearer, and I involuntarily let out a shiver.

"It's been 50 degrees all week," someone called, and there were loud sirens in the distance. My eyes widened, and I rapidly moved my fingers. Greg caught them with his hand, and I could no longer move them. "That water had to be 20 degrees at least, all considered that this side of the lake is freezing."

"Dammit," Greg muttered, pulling off his jacket and throwing it aside. He quickly unbuttoned my vest, throwing it. I watched as he slipped my shirt off, leaving me in the tank top I had worn underneath. He covered me instantly in a warm towel, wrapping me up and holding me in his arms, rubbing me everywhere. "Gotta keep your blood flowing, Lex. Is the baby okay?"

I let out a groan. "Don't…know."

My answer was weak and barely audible. "You'll be okay, honey," Greg assured me worriedly. "So will the baby. You were only in there for a few seconds."

"_Lexi!_" Morgan shrieked, and I watched as she nearly tripped on a rock running towards me. She skidded to a stop, kneeling down next to me. "Are you okay? Oh God, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, oh God-"

"Stop," I forced out, my lips now trembling. "Not…you're fault."

She nodded, a tear rolling down her face. "I should have been more careful, Lexi. The ambulance is on it's way, they're trying to back it up so they wont have to pull the gurney half a mile. The area's a little more than secluded."

I cracked a smile and she returned it. The rubbing Greg was giving my arms now felt wonderful as my hands stopped shaking in Greg's. "There we go, you're okay," he said in my ear, and his rubbing subsided. He stroked my hair gently, as if he were worried he'd break me. "You're okay."

"Who…got me?" I asked hoarsely.

"Nick did, Lex, I didn't hear what happened. He got there before I did, I'm sorry," he apologized, looking guilty and upset all at the same time. "I wasn't there to save you and the baby, I'm so sorry."

"We're fine," I told him, my voice somewhat returning to me. I touched my stomach, and still felt my small bump. "She'll pull through."

"But what if I wanted it to be a boy?" he whined, and Morgan let out a laugh after she'd been so quiet.

The sirens were once again audible as an ambulance came into view, Nick and Finn helping them back it up. Sara was with them, instructing the paramedics where to go. "You hear that, Lex? They're here."

"Hate them," I grumbled, closing my eyes. "We have to stop getting in these, Greg."

He chuckled and kissed the top of my head. "No surgeries or treatments, baby. They're just gonna make sure you're okay, standard procedure."

"Let's load her up!" a paramedic shouted. The gurney came into view, and I felt Greg gently set me on the ground. I reached out in attempt to reach him, but they picked me up, settling me on the uncomfortable plastic. I felt someone strap and oxygen mask to my face, and I inhaled as much of it as I could. Greg and Morgan both jumped into the ambulance, the paramedics not even bothering with me as they sped off.

"Someone tell Nick thank you," I whispered, and they both nodded. "I don't think she's dead."

…

I opened my eyes, looking around quickly. My room was empty, and I pressed the button for a nurse to come. A tall woman immediately appeared, looking at me happily. "Miss Smith!" she said, giving me a bright smile. "Good to see you're awake."

"Thanks," I said uncertainly, pulling myself slightly further underneath the covers. "Where's Greg?"

"Oh, Mr. Sanders had to return to work, there was some new information?" she said wearily, shaking her head. "I don't really know, sorry."

"It's fine," I mumbled. "What about the baby? Is it okay?"

She nodded with a huge grin. "You, Miss Smith, are one of the luckiest people I have ever met," she told me seriously. "Most people would have had a miscarriage induced by the temperatures of which you were in."

I smiled softly. "Did you tell Greg that? He's probably worried sick."

She shook her head. "I'm really sorry, Miss Smith, we weren't allowed to tell him anything, he's not direct family. He was permitted to see you though, if that helps."

"It does," I said, irritated they hadn't told anyone anything. "But no one even knows anything? I could be near death, and they wouldn't know because someone wouldn't tell them a thing."

Her smile faltered briefly. "Legalities and liabilities," she told me in a sweet tone. "That's what our boss tells us."

I frowned. "Fine. Call Greg Sanders for me, let him know I'm awake?"

"Sure," she answered, and flashed me another smile before leaving. I took a deep breath before placing a hand on my stomach.

"You are one tough stack of nails, baby!" I giggled. "Still growing strong, aren't you?"

There was no response, which of course there wouldn't be. I sighed and laid my head back on my pillow, feeling incredibly bored. There was no TV, no books, nothing. I didn't know if Greg would even come or not, if there really was new information on the case.

And with those last thoughts, I drifted into sleep.

_I walked through the house, all alone. I was carrying a little boy, his head rested on my shoulder. I held him carefully, walking up the stairs to where the guest room was. I took a left down that hall, and carefully tip-toed into the room. Setting the boy down on his bed, I realized he couldn't have been any older than two. I watched as my dream-self walked across the hall and entered Greg and I's room, except it was empty. Just me, and I could tell there were a lack of Greg's things. The picture of he and I that sat on the dresser had a gaping crack in it, like it had been smashed. Dream me walked over to the picture and picked it up, some broken glass falling onto the dresser. I seemed to examine it for a minute before carrying it with me back down the stairs, and setting it in a pile. In the pile, were pounds and pounds of Greg's belongings, his shirts and pants. I felt sick as I walked into the kitchen and laid my head in my hands, tears slipping down my face. There was a knock on the door, and I tried to hide the tears as I walked over to answer it. I watched in horror as Greg stood at the door, an amused expression playing on his face. _

"_What are you doing here?" Dream Me asked in a shaky voice._

"_I just came…to get the last of my stuff." Greg said stiffly, and I stood back so he could get his things. He took a deep breath at the sight of his things before turning back to me. "When does your flight leave?"_

"_Tomorrow," I croaked, and he sighed. "I'm getting out of here as fast as I can, just like you want."_

"_I don't want you gone, Lexi," Greg clarified, and I rolled my eyes. "I just can't raise a kid right now, is all."_

"_That's not what you said when I told you I was pregnant."_

"_Lexi," he said._

"_What?"_

"_Lexi."_

"_What?!"_

"_LEXI!"_

"What?" I shouted, my eyes snapping open. Greg stood over my bed, watching my nervously. "Oh, sorry. Bad dream."

He nodded and patiently sat down next to me in a chair. "I was going to let you sleep, but the nurse called and said you woke up."

"The baby's okay," I told him quietly. "He's okay."

"Now it's a he?" he laughed, reaching out and intertwining our fingers.

I just sat there, so many things running through my head. Did my dream mean anything? Or was I just having a nightmare? Greg wouldn't leave us, he said he wouldn't.

"You're staying, right?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah, I'm off work now," he replied, squeezing my hand. "We're so close to finding her, Lexi."

"I didn't- I didn't mean here," I stammered, biting my lip. "I meant with me. And the baby. You're going to be with us, right? You won't leave?"

He gaped at me. "Of course I am, Lex. I already promised I would. Nothing can tear me away from you two, you should know that."

"I had…I had this dream," I said quietly, closing my eyes. "You had left. You were gone, you had left us. We were flying somewhere to get away from you, you said you weren't ready to be a dad."

He shook his head in a daze, like he couldn't believe what he'd heard. "I would never."

"I know that," I said tightly. "But I couldn't help but wonder if my dream was trying to warn me or what…"

"No," he said firmly, pulling his hand away from mine and moving my bangs away from my face. The warmth of his hand made me blush, and he kissed my cheek gently. "I'm staying, sweetie. It was just a dream, didn't mean anything."

I nodded, now shaking away the awful possibility. "It was a boy," I said with a grin. "In the dream."

He grinned wider than I had. He was about to say something, but Ryan burst through the door. "Lexi," he breathed, rushing to the other side of the bed. "You're okay."

"We're fine," I laughed, and he scrunched his eyebrows.

"We?" he asked in confusion, and Greg patted my hand supportively.

"I'm pregnant, Ry," I said happily. He just stared at me, then looked over at Greg. "Exciting, huh?"

"Definitely," he finally said with a smile. "I'm happy for you guys. Congrats."

"Thanks," I said, but looked over at Greg. "Did you call him?"

"Brass mentioned you were here, after he gave me this," he said, proudly pulling out his badge. "Detective Ryan Houghton. Officially."

I squealed with happiness, wrapping my arms around him. "That's fantastic!" I exclaimed, and he grinned. "Morgan must be so proud!"

He blushed awkwardly, leaning away from me. "Busted!" Greg sang, crossing his arms. "We totally knew you two were a thing."

"We're not a thing yet," Ryan muttered, and I beamed with happiness. "And she's a busy girl, did you know that? She's always working."

"You'll get used to it," I smiled, patting his shoulder. "Promise."

….

"Welcome back?" Russell asked unsurely as I passed him in the hallway. I stopped and quirked an eyebrow. "Figured you could use another day."

"And I feel like I'm never here anymore," I said with a sigh, but smiled. "Plus, I want to find that Safford girl."

"3 hour rule out the window?" he guessed, and I nodded. "Hope you find her."

"Thanks," I said, waving as I continued down towards the break room. Sara and Nick were examining some case files, looking stressed out. "Where are we, on the case?"

Sara looked up at me briefly before returning to the papers. "Assuming that Caitlyn was forced to drown herself, her body is nowhere within a ten mile radius of that location."

"No bones?"

"Nothing," Nick answered, shaking his head. "Absolutely nothing."

"Son of a bitch," I said under my breath, walking over and leaning over Sara's shoulder. "Wait- did anyone talk to the younger sister?"

"She was sent with an aunt," Sara replied, looking up at me. "Why?"

"Get her here ASAP," I ordered, walking out of the break room and down the hall, heading for Hodges's lab. "Do you have trace from that shovel?"

"Henry has the blood results," he said, turning and greeting me. "Glad to see your back and well."

"It wasn't anything serious," I said dismissively. "What about the dirt? That was sent to you, remember?"

"I remember," he mumbled, rolling his eyes and picking something up off the top of his printer. "It wasn't dirt, actually. It was sand."

"Sand?" I asked in slight disbelief, and he nodded. "As in, the type of sand from the lake?"

"Yep," he confirmed, handing me the paper. "But, dear Lexi, as I already said-"

"Shut up," I said, holding up my hand. "Do you still have the shovel?"

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Nick decided DNA better have it instead of me, actually." He said snootily, crossing his arms. "Said it would help more for identifying the blood source."

"Thanks," I said, hurrying out and rushing into Henry's lab. "You have my blood results yet, Henry?"

"Yeah," he said, and absentmindedly handed me a paper. "Confirmed blood on the shovel is a mixture of Jack and Shauna Safford."

"Where's the shovel?" I asked him, and he pointed to the counter behind me, where it was lying a huge evidence bag. "Print it."

"Sara said to not worry about it though," he said with a frown, and I rolled my eyes. "After your knife results came back to the old woman-"

"They did?" I asked in confusion.

"Well, yeah," he said, looking at me funny.

"Bring that to Mandy, please?" I asked with a frustrated sigh, and he nodded. "Thanks, Henry."

"No problem," he said, heading for the shovel as I began to walk out the door. "Oh, and Lexi!"

"Hmm?" I turned around, raising my eyebrows at him.

"Congrats on the pregnancy, Hodges just told me today," he said with a bright smile, and I returned it.

"Thanks," I said quietly, a blush rising on my cheeks. I headed out of the lab quickly, stopping short when I saw an irritated Adrianna Safford standing with her aunt, who was nervously talking to Moreno. "Hey! Perfect timing."

He sent me a look, and I frowned. "You can speak to Adrianna, but quickly," he consented, and I thanked him shortly before leading Adrianna into the abandoned hallway.

"I already told them everything I know," she sighed, giving me an annoyed look. "What else do you need?"

"Not much," I promised her. "Where were you when your parents disappeared?"

"The lake," she answered. "I was with Baylie and Britney, ask their parents."

"I believe you, don't worry," I assured her, and she crossed her arms impatiently. "Who picked you up?"

"Baylie's mom took us home because there were some idiots shooting guns," she explained. "We were fine, she didn't have to ruin the whole trip."

I smiled to myself. "Great. When did you go to your grandmothers?"

"That night. Mrs. Battioto dropped me off, Gram was just putting away her gardening stuff."

"Was Caitlyn there?"

She shook her head. "She didn't come until the next morning."

"How long did she stay after that?" I asked, feeling like time was running out. Even though two months was a long time, it felt like now, every second was ringing through my ears.

"Just a day," she said with a grimace. "Her and Gram went for ice cream. Caitlyn was trying to get us out of there, she made her mad."

"Then Caitlyn went to stay with her parents, huh?" I guessed, and she nodded. "Thanks, Adrianna. You have no idea how much of a help you've been."

"Caitlyn liked cabins," she told me, glancing between her aunt and myself. Her aunt wore an ugly glare, eyeing me with a cold expression. "We used to own a cabin. Gram always liked camping with my Mom and Dad."

"Let's go, Adrianna," the aunt said, gripping her shoulder and pulling her away from me. Adrianna kept eye contact with me until her Aunt flipped her around and drug her out of the building.

"Did you get whatever it was that you needed? Moreno asked me.

"I think I know where she is," I said to myself. "That's what she was telling me."

….

The dogs anxiously sniffed the clothes that belonged to Caitlyn, and took off running. I followed them, Greg and Morgan behind me. They ran faster, through the sand and back into the trees and bushes of the forest. "They just don't slow down," Morgan panted, and I nodded in agreeance.

There was a loud barking that rang through the forest, and I took off running, faster than Greg and Morgan could. I stopped abruptly, the dogs barking at a cabin door. My breath rattled in my chest, feeling unable to breath. I let the police break the door open, and I followed them inside the small cabin.

Caitlyn was making something on a stove, her stomach considerably bigger than mine was. "Caitlyn!" an officer shouted, and she showed no reaction. I tapped her on the shoulder, and she spun around.

"Caitlyn?" I asked her, and she nodded. "Can you hear me?"

"That's what they all ask," she said bitterly, her voice holding a distinct accent. "I'm deaf, lady."

"You've been trapped here?" I confirmed, and she nodded. "We're with the LVPD, we're here to get you out."

"I am not going back to that woman!" she shrieked, and I took a step back wearily. "I may have gotten knocked up, but she will kill me!"

"She's in custody, Caitlyn," I assured her, taking her arm. "You're safe now."

**A/N: Maybe I'll bring Caitlyn back? Kind of like Maggie Moser? Eh, I probably wont. Maybe. I don't really know.**

**But anyways, what did we think? The scene with Lexi almost drowning? The dream? All kind of emotional and sad. Damian Everscent? I actually really like his character.:) **

**Sorry if this chapter was really case-focused, but it was also a little longer than most of mine. **

**Who liked Adrianna? I did, I actually have a friend named Adrianna who's a lot like her. Impatient, rude at times.**

**Case will be explained further next chappie. And listen, I really, really, hate to be like this, but I'm asking for 7 MORE REVIEWS before another chapter. Like seriously, I need 15 before I'm gonna update, because right now I am in a HUGE STUMP on chapter 13 and need some major inspiration. So yeah, if you want a quicker update…**

**REVIEW!**

**Thanks people.(:**


	4. Hiding Things and Horror Movies

**A/N: Don't own CSI**

"You sure you're okay?" Greg asked me nervously, and I quirked an eyebrow at him. "Just checking."

"Check yourself," I chuckled, and he rolled his eyes. I knew he was nervous, today was the day we'd hopefully hear the baby's heartbeat. He was becoming more protective of me, especially after the lake incident. I mean, he hardly ever let me go on a scene alone, always telling Russell that he'd have to go with me. It was agonizing.

"Lexi?" a nurse called, sticking her head out the door. I looked up and smiled, standing up. Greg was right behind me, probably because he didn't know what the hell they did at these appointments. "How have you been, Lexi?"

"Fine, for the most part," I answered, and Greg cleared his throat. "Though I do believe the emergency room was supposed to pass on information about the incident two weeks ago?"

"Oh, yes," she said, flipping through her papers. "Very lucky. But besides that, anything else?"

"Not really," I replied, stifling a laugh at Greg's face. He looked pale, and he was gripping my hand so hard it was beginning to hurt. "Easy there, that doesn't exactly feel good."

"Sorry," he said quickly, ripping his hand away altogether.

"Someone's nervous," the nurse laughed, pulling out the blood pressure machine. She wrapped the plastic piece around my arm, and it squeezed me so hard I thought my eyes would pop out of my head. "I don't believe he was here last time, was he?"

I smirked. "No, he wasn't," I agreed, and Greg blushed. "He's really having a panic attack on the inside, guarantee it."

"Am not," Greg breathed, and I grinned. "Just can't believe there's a kid in there."

She pulled the blood pressure reader off my arm, wrapping it all back up. "Blood pressure's normal. Weight next?" she offered, and I leapt off the table, Greg cautiously grabbing my arm. The nurse sent me a knowing glance, and I blushed this time. "Right here."

I stepped onto the scale, praying I'd at least gained 2 pounds in the past month. I'd been stuffing my face left and right with anything I could get my hands on, particularly jelly beans. "What's it say?" I asked, my eyes shut tight.

"Way to gain, Miss Smith," she said, sounding impressed. "109 pounds today, 2 pounds up!"

I sighed with relief, Greg laughing at me. "It's not funny," I mumbled, and he went solemn almost immediately. "I'm gonna be the skinniest pregnant lady ever."

"Still gonna look like a whale," the nurse remarked, and I gaped at her. "Sorry. It gets hard to hold my tongue after you listen to pregnant woman declare that they're going to remain skinny through nine months of carrying a child."

"I would like to gain weight," I sighed, and she gave me a sad smile. "Maybe start looking pregnant instead of like this."

"Here," she said, handing me a hospital gown. "Dr. Berman will be in to see you in about 10 minutes, it's been a busy day."

"It's fine," I assured her, and began to strip when she shut the door. I felt Greg's eyes grazing over me, and I gave him a mischievous smile. "I don't look any hotter, if that's what your checking."

"No, you just…" he trailed off, at a loss for words. "You do show, a little."

He pointed to the small bump at the bottom of my stomach. "That used to be flat."

He grinned up at me. "Hey, I'm fine with a bump."

I rolled my eyes and slipped the huge hospital gown on, lying down on the half bed. "I'm so tired," I groaned, and he rubbed the top of my arm. "So, so tired."

"Aren't you supposed to be?" he asked, looking confused. "You're walking, eating, and breathing for 2 in there."

"Glad you see it my way," I laughed, and he flashed a smile my way. "I cannot wait to have this baby. As in the next 7 months are going to be hell."

"Doesn't help that it's been weird ass weather," he commented, and I frowned. "I don't think it's ever rained in July here."

"Same with LA, just not as bad," I informed him, and he gave me a sideways look. "Sorry, you already knew that."

"I did grow up there, Lex," he said, smile remaining intact. "Or at least, close to there."

"Didn't grow up in the heart and soul of it, like I did," I taunted, and he looked away. "You know I'm right."

"You are," he admitted, and I grinned victoriously. "Would you raise your kid there?"

"No way," I said, horrified. The only reason I turned out alright was because my parents were loaded and I went to one of the best public schools LA had to offer. I had refused to go to some private Christian school and hear lectures about Jesus. "It can be pretty scary, sometimes."

He look distantly at the wall. "One time, when I was a senior in high school, we drove down to LA for a Lakers game. My buddies and I, just the three of us," he said, seeming melancholy. "I didn't have that many friends, I kind of preferred the loner card. But anyways, we drove through all that damned traffic, and when we get there, we had nosebleed seats. Which was fine, none of us were sports junkies anyways. We were doing the whole what-the-hell-we're-18-now thing." I laughed openly at his admittance. "And three guesses who had seats next to us."

"Megan Fox," I tried, and he sighed.

"I wish," he mumbled, and I slapped his arm. "Sorry. But no, it was Chase Mathews, of course. He hit my best friend, Logan, just because he won the bet that the Celtics would win." He paused. "And you never bet against the Lakers on their home court."

"Duh," I filled in.

"So he hits Logan, and it was pretty bad. His vision was blurry, he was thinking all screwy. And apparently so were my friend Jason and I, because we saw it fit to try and take down Mathews whole gang of groupies."

"Assuming that it didn't work out," I added, and he smirked. "Which is why Mathews was such an ass to you at the park."

"He was always a bully," Greg muttered, and I ruffled his hair. "Quit it!"

He began to tend to it gently. "When I was a senior, Chelsea, the girl I was living with, set the school snack bar on fire." He gaped at me in response, and I shrugged. "I know she got the chemicals from my science kits, since she never went outside of her house and school."

"She get arrested?" Greg asked in disbelief, and I grinned. "She didn't?"

"School got insurance money to build a bigger and better one," I said simply, shrugging. "Why would they press charges?"

"That was the craziest thing you did?" he confirmed, and I shook my head. "No?"

"Went to some concert, my boyfriend got in a fight," I said, remembering back to the night before graduation. "I beat the crap out of the guys little groupie. Kid was only an inch taller than I am, so he was pretty tiny."

"High school was fun," Greg said in agreeance. "There weren't that many fights, though, where I went."

"Where I went, you couldn't get away from them," I laughed. "People from the hood will fight over a brownie and turn it into a gang war."

He stifled a laugh as the door clicked open, Dr. Berman hurrying in. "I am so sorry I'm late," he apologized quickly, and I grinned at his sincerity. "Some women feel the need to explain every single piece of food they've inhaled for the past month."

"If I told you mine, you'd cringe," I said seriously, and he raised a set of thin eyebrows at me. Dr. Berman was seriously one of the coolest doctors I'd ever had, and I'd only seen him one time. "We gonna hear a heartbeat today?"

"Most likely," he said, motioning for me to lay down. "11 weeks is definitely enough. I was just hesitant last time, didn't want to upset you if I couldn't find anything."

"The nurse passed on my information for the accident, right?" I confirmed, and he nodded.

"You really are a lucky girl, Lexi," he chuckled, pulling out his Doppler. "And you must be her boyfriend, Greg."

Greg glanced at me uncertainly, and I blushed. "Yeah," he answered, and the doctor grinned. "That would be me."

"Let me tell you, I only had her for 40 minutes last appointment, and she's obsessed," he told Greg seriously, and my blush deepened. "I probably know things about you that _you _don't know."

Greg's mouth hung open, and I burst out laughing. Dr. Berman joined me, and Greg closed his mouth. "He's kidding, honey."

"Oh," Greg answered quietly. "My bad."

"But seriously, she has told me all about how you're more excited about the baby than she is," he said, shaking his head as he slapped on rubber gloves. "Is he up for a boy or girl, Lexi?"

"He wants a boy," I said unhappily, and Dr. Berman chuckled. "I want a girl."

"I have 3 daughters," he said, pulling out his gel. "And a son. I preferred my son, he was less of a pain than the others. Teenage years really sucked."

And with that last remark, he spread the gel across my stomach. It tingled across my skin, and Greg scooted close to me, watching everything Dr. Berman was doing closely. When he was satisfied, he threw his gloves off and held up the Doppler. "I think I'm as excited as you two."

I laughed as he placed the end where it was supposed to be, running it along my lower stomach slowly. I held my breath in anxiousness, and he finally stopped. "You have it?" I asked, and he didn't answer. "Right?"

"Yep," he said, and clicked the speaker on.

_Woosh. Woosh. Woosh._

The sound of the heart filled my ears and my eyes, which were now becoming teary with joy and hormones. "Oh my God, there's really a baby in there," Greg whispered in surprise, and I wiped away my tears, laughing and crying all at the same time. "My baby's in there."

"No," I corrected. "_Our _baby."

…...

"It was so cool!" Greg raved as we sat around the break room. I sipped on my coffee nonchalantly, ignoring the excited grin Morgan was giving me. "You could totally hear it. Crystal clear, too."

"That's really great, Greg," Nick said, genuinely smiling at him. "When's the due date?"

"Doc says February 19th," I spoke up, glancing over at Greg's uncontrollable grin. "He's all giddy because it's so close to my birthday."

"When do you find out the gender?" Finn asked anxiously, and I smirked over at Greg.

"2 more appointments," he answered quickly. "I cannot wait, I just know it's a boy."

"I don't want to find out," I mumbled, glaring at him. "Want it to be a surprise."

"We have to plan though," Greg reminded me. "Nursery, clothes, etcetera."

"Neutral colors," I retorted, and Morgan burst out laughing. "What?"

"Can you honestly think of a color that is neutral?" she asked in disbelief, and I shrugged.

"Yellow."

"Trace reports!" a voice sang, entering the room. Hodges stood with a folder in his hands, carefully taking out papers. He set one in front of Sara and Nick, then one in front of Finn and Morgan. He slammed one in front of Greg, except it was upside down. He looked away, slamming one next to Nick as well. He made eye contact with the both of them before walking out of the room quickly.

"Let me see," I urged, leaning towards him. He held the paper away from me, and Nick did the same. "Come on, what's the big secret?"

"Nothing at all," Nick answered quickly, before standing up and hightailing it out of the room. I sighed in annoyance and leaned against Greg's shoulder, though he stood up, leaving my head to hang sideways.

"Something's up," Morgan said, pointing to where Ryan and Greg were looking at the paper together. Ryan grinned and gave Greg a thumbs up before walking off. "No more secrets."

"I vote we pester Hodges?" Finn suggested, and they all turned to look at me.

"Why?" I whined, and Morgan grinned. "Just because we're kind of sort of friends doesn't mean I have to do all the dirty work here."

"Come on," Sara said, raising her eyebrows. "That's also dirt on Greg, Nick, and Ryan. Take the chance, Lex."

"Especially the dirt on Ryan," Morgan added, rubbing her hands together in dramatic mischief. "I want to see him squirm!"

"Why?" Mandy asked, walking into the break room and heading for the coffee pot.

"It's sexy," Morgan sighed, and I shook my head.

"I'll be back," I said in defeat, marching past Greg and Nick, both of whom were laughing about something stupid. I entered his lab, where he was staring off into space. "Hey."

"Oh," he said lamely. "Sorry. A lot on my mind."

"What's going on?" I demanded to know, stepping closer to him so he could understand how serious I was being. "What's up with all the secrets?"

"Nothing." He said quickly, and I glared at him.

"Liar," I hissed, poking a finger in his chest. "What is going on?"

He hesitated before shrugging. "I can't give it away, I promised I'd keep it a secret."

"Fine," I grumbled, hitting Hodges in the shoulder. "Don't expect me to fill in for trace. Ever, ever again."

"Don't you have some case?" he groaned in annoyance, and I narrowed my eyes at him. "Sorry, just asking here."

"It's been yet another slow night. So sick of it." I said. "I want some crazy and outlandish case that will actually be exciting, you know?"

"Actually. I don't," he said smugly. "I prefer to stay in the lab."

"But didn't you once say you took every chance you could to get in the field?" I questioned, and he scratched the back of his head. "Pretty sure you did."

He looked around. "You try having to photograph bedpans, it was disgusting."

I burst out in laughter, and he immediately look away in embarrassment. "You do know that Russell just made you do that for the hell of it, right?" I wheezed out, and he rolled his eyes. "Oh, you totally did. But you're too much of a kiss ass for your own good."

"Shut up," he sneered, returning to what he should have been working on. "You calling me a kiss ass isn't going to help your chances of finding out what we're all up to."

"Oh, I don't need you," I informed him, backing out of the lab slowly. "Because I am so totally going to find out."

"You just want to ruin everything!" he yelped, throwing his hands in the air. I shrugged and took off down the hallway, scanning for someone that I knew I should be able to force an answer out of. And finally, I found him.

I patiently waited, watching as he spoke to some distraught mother. She was nodding solemnly, a sob escaping her lips occasionally. I watched in amusement, and when Ryan began to walk away, I grabbed his wrist and forcefully pulled him behind a divider. He stumbled slightly, and I forced him into it, slamming his shoulders into the wall.

"What the hell?" he hissed, glaring at me. "What are you doing?"

"What are you up to?" I demanded, inching closer. "You, Hodges, Nick and Greg. What are you boys up to?"

He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows. "You would like to know that, wouldn't you?"

"Spill!" I said, unable to contain my laughter and lightly hitting his shoulder. "Tell me everything."

"No way," he said seriously. "I know I didn't screw everything up last time, but I'm pretty damn good at fixing surprises."

"What?" I asked in confusion, and he shot me a usual goofy smile. "What surprises?"

"Don't worry, Lex, they're not about you," he assured me, and I crossed my arms. "Promise."

"I'm going to believe you for now," I said cautiously, and he gave a warm smile.

"That's all I ask," he assured me. "Just leave it alone, you'll find our eventually."

"But the second I catch a whiff of stupidity, I'll keep Greg home alone for the next month!" I continued, and Ryan nodded.

"Deal!" he promised, and patted my head. "See you, Lexi."

"Yeah, bye," I mumbled, making my way back to break room. They were all staring at me expectantly, and I pursed my lips. "Nothing."

"What?" Morgan exclaimed, glaring across the hall at Hodges. "You couldn't get _anything _out of him?"

"He wouldn't budge," I said quietly, feeling defeated. "Please tell me there's _some _case out there for us to work on?"

"There is now!" a voice declared. I turned around to see Russell entering with a piece of paper in his hand. "Lexi, you Greg and Morgan are going to a quadruple. Detective Houghton should be meeting you there."

"Thanks," I said, Morgan standing me up and following me out as she took the paper gratefully. Greg was standing next to Nick, the two of them chattering away and pointing to Henry.

"DB told you we have a case, right?" Morgan asked, shoving the paper into his hands.

He slowly looked up at us, and I fought away a smile so Morgan didn't burst out laughing. "He didn't, actually," Greg answered, shooting me a weird look. "But I guess we can go now, just let me get my stuff."

"Good," I said, grinning. "I'll drive!"

"Why can't I?" Morgan whined, looking over at me and pouting.

"Because you're a crappy driver," I said simply, and she rolled her eyes. "And be quick, Greg. Seriously, it's a quadruple."

But as I looked into the locker room, I could see that Greg was nowhere to be seen, and a note was attached to my locker:

_Got you! Have fun tonight, I'll be home by time you're asleep. Don't worry, got the night off so I'm not completely ditching you. –Greg._

….

"Don't go in the closet!" Morgan shrieked, and Finn nodded firmly in agreement. "He's in there! Listen to me! He is IN THERE!"

Suddenly, they both screamed, Morgan throwing the popcorn bowl wildly in the air, the pieces flying across the living room. "Oh darn, she went in the closet," I yawned in a bored tone. "Didn't see that one coming."

"No!" Finn cried, and I smirked as the guys stabbed her, and she stumbled backwards slowly, rasping for air. "Come on, you son of a bitch! She was your girlfriend!"

"Did he kill her yet?" Sara asked anxiously, running into the house from outside, carrying a separate pizza box. "Please tell me yes."

"Yeah," Morgan said glumly, and I grinned widely at Sara. "Is that food?"

"Yeah," she answered, motioning for Morgan to come get a piece. "Pepperoni, just like you wanted."

"Thanks," she said, flipping the top open. Finn jumped slightly, and I turned around at the sound of chainsaw coming from the television.

"You're CSI's, and a horror movie scares you?" I asked in disbelief, standing up and dumping my paper plate in the trash. "Give me a break."

"Just because we see dead people doesn't mean we like to see how they die," she mumbled, looking away. "And these are gory."

"So are murders," I reminded her, checking my watch. "It's 2 am, still no Greg or Ryan?"

"Nope," Morgan answered, sliding a piece of pizza onto her plate. "I got nothing. Finn, you want a piece?"

"Yes please," she called back, watching carefully as the girl crawled out of the house with one arm. "Now _that _has to hurt."

"Definitely," Sara greed, plopping down between us. "Hurry up Morgan, you'll miss the good part!"

"Because her getting ran over by a tractor is the good part," Morgan grumbled, sitting down next to Sara and I. "Lex, have you guys picked out baby names yet?"

I shook my head, taking another bite. "It hasn't really came up," I said, swallowing. "But we've each thrown around a few ideas here and there."

"Such as?" Sara prompted, adjusting herself so she was facing me. Finn turned the TV to mute before doing to the same, staring at me curiously.

"Well, I kind of liked the name Makaylee," I said, looking at the hopefully. Finn and Morgan both frowned, and Sara grimaced. "Okay, I get the feeling you all hate that."

"Too long," Morgan explained. "What would you call her for short- Kaylee? It would defeat the whole pointing of naming her Makaylee."

"Okay, okay, I get it," I defended, and Sara smiled. "I…was just thinking about the name Katie."

"Oh my God, that is such a cute name," Morgan promised, grinning from ear to ear. "I love it."

"And for a boy, Aiden," I said proudly. "Or Tyler. I love both of them."

"As do I," Finn agreed, and the movie credits began to roll on screen. "And I also love that it is time for me to take my food on the road, because I need sleep."

"Same," Sara sighed, standing up. Morgan followed suit, and I did as well. "Thanks so much for having us over, Lex. It was a blast."

"No problem," I said, smiling and ignoring my stomach growling. I walked them to the door, just as headlights flashed, pulling into the driveway.

"Good luck," Finn laughed, patting my shoulder. "See you tomorrow night."

I gave them all a smile, leaning against the door frame as they walked out, each of them sharing a greeting with Greg and Nick.

"Hey!" Greg said happily upon seeing me. "You had a girls night without me?"

I rolled my eyes, glancing over at Nick. "You wasted or something?" I asked, smirking. He shook his head, but looked like he'd maybe had an extra beer or two. "So where'd you guys sneak off to that we weren't allowed to know about?"

They each exchanged a look before looking at me mischievously. "Oh, nowhere," Greg said, stifling a laugh.

"What? Was it a strip club?" I guessed, leaning against Greg's chest. "I don't care if it was."

"Well, okay, it was," Greg admitted, and Nick busted up laughing. "We were just trying to do Henry's birthday some justice, is all."

"Yeah, about two years ago, we got him a car wreck, crime scene, and an outbreak of hepatitis B!" Nick said, fighting for air.

"Some inside joke I don't get," I assumed, and Greg just kissed the top of my head. "Are you two hungry? We got pizza tonight so-"

"Yes." They answered simultaneously.

Greg led Nick inside, the two pushing past me and heading for the food that was still placed on the counter. I took a seat at the bar, watching as they fought over the last piece of Chicago style pizza.

"Dammit, you have all this food to eat and I can't just-"

"You think I get to eat this? Lexi inhales half of it!"

"Hey!" I snapped, and Greg looked at me apologetically. "I eat half of that because I'm eating for two, dammit!"

"Okay, note to self," Nick said, grinning. "Do not mess with 3 month pregnant lady."

"4 months next week, thank you very much," I muttered, snatching the combination when they weren't looking.

"Hey!" Greg whined, pouting like a kid. "I wanted that, Lex."

"Too bad," I said simply, taking a bite to prove my point. "I do love mushrooms."

"Gross," Nick sighed, closing the lid of the pizza box. "Well, I hate to intrude, so I'm gonna head out. See ya'll next shift!"

"Yeah, see you!" Greg called, watching as he walked out the door.

"Did Henry enjoy the strip club?" I laughed, raising my eyebrows at Greg once Nick had left.

"Oh, as much as a nerd can," Greg said with a shrug. "Don't worry, Ryan and I stayed away from the girls."

"Yeah, right," I laughed, rolling my eyes and shaking my head. "You guys were probably drooling all over the stage."

"I much prefer you," he promised, sneaking over and running a hand across my stomach. "I mean, they can't sport the baby bump like you can, Lex."

"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically, setting the crust down on the plate and standing up. "I'm going to bed, you coming with?"

"Yeah," he said, pulling a beer out of the fridge. "In an hour or so. Just gonna watch the news for a while."

I nodded, kissing his cheek quickly as he popped the top of the beer. "Night, honey," I called heading up the stairs. He yelled something back, but I was too distracted to hear exactly what he said, my drooping eyes urging me towards our bed. And it was there that I collapsed on top of our large mattress.

But the explosion woke me up.

**A/N: Oh snapp.**

**So, we did not hit 15 reviews*runs in a corner to cry* but you can all thank SomewhereOnlyWeKnow9 for emailing me an excellence sticker and her favorite quotes from chapter 1(because she's a kiss ass. Kidding, Katheryne.) to put me over the edge. So yeah, thank her.**

**But SERIOUSLY, 15 reviews or know chapter next time. And that's really not asking for that much considering that, as of now, you just need 4 reviews.**

**And I find it very sweet that I'm still getting follows/favorites on The Newbie even though its been over for quite a while. And reviews(we finally hit 80!) so yeah, thank to the people who are doing that.**

**REVIEWW REVIEWW REVIEWWWWW!**

**Love you all! **


	5. What Comes Up Must Come Down

**A/N: don't own CSI.**

My eyes snapped open, and I jumped out of bed. Sticking my head out the window, I could see our neighbors house now engulfed in flames. I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand.

"Lex!" Greg yelled from somewhere at the bottom of the staircase, and I could hear him running towards the bedroom. He appeared in the doorway, seemingly out of breath. "You're okay, right?"

"Yeah," I muttered, pulling out my cell phone and quickly dialing 911. I handed the phone to Greg before hurrying down the stairs myself. I threw on a sweater and flip flops, rushing out our front door. Other neighbors had gathered as well, and I could hear a shrieking coming from inside the house. I walked quickly over to the burning building, only to see a woman carrying a baby out of the house, coughing wildly. Mrs. Santoni.

"You!" she screamed, pointing to me. I wasn't sure what for, but immediately hurried to her worried figure. "Take Teresa, please. I need to find Cheyenne!"

I nodded, and though I figured any normal person would tell her to keep herself out of that fire, I couldn't imagine what it would be like if one of my kids was still in there. She handed me the baby, and I carefully held it, not having much experience in this department. I looked around and saw Greg talking to an operator from our bedroom, the window making things slightly blurry.

"Someone called 911, right?" a man yelled, pulling out his phone.

"My boyfriend did, yes!" I yelled back, and the man shot me a weird look. "He's on the phone right now, promise."

"Who's she?" the man mumbled to his wife, and I rolled my eyes at the judgmental couple, seeing that we were watching our neighbors house burn down. "Greg!"

I looked between the man and Greg, who was now a few feet away from me. "Nice to see you too, Mr. Parker," Greg replied, looking at the house. He pursed his lips, shaking his head. "Fire Department's on their way."

"We can't do anything," I said quietly, leaning against him as the fire danced across the roof of the house. "No one's going in there, they'll get burnt to hell."

"I know," he whispered, glancing at the baby in my hands. "Who's this?"

"Mrs. Santoni's daughter, Teresa," I replied, looking at the one year old girl in my arms. "Isn't she adorable, Greg?"

"Definitely," he agreed half-heartedly, and the baby began to gurgle. I held her closer, sighing with relief as the fire department pulled in quickly, the men rushing around like a Chinese fire drill.

One firefighter pulled Mrs. Santoni out, and in her arms she held a little girl, who had to have been 3 or 4. Two other firefighters pulled out Mr. Santoni, who appeared limp and unresponsive. "Oh God," I whispered into thin air, turning myself and the baby away as the fireman performed CPR.

"Greg?" a voice asked, and I looked over to where the judgmental neighbors were walking towards us. "We'll take Teresa."

"That's probably better," Greg sighed, gently taking Teresa from my arms. He handed her over to the wife out of the couple, and she immediately took her over to her house. "This is my girlfriend, Lexi. Lexi, this is our neighbor, Mr. Parker."

"I've seen you around," he said, narrowing his eyes at me. "You must be the one always making Greg run to the store in the middle of the night."

I nodded, feeling overwhelmed. "We'll see you later, Mr. Parker," Greg said, his arm wrapping around my waist. "Let us know if we can do anything to help."

"Will do," he said shortly, shooting me one last look before following his wife's footsteps into their house. I leaned into Greg, sobs now forcing themselves out of me.

"Hey now, you're okay," Greg comforted, leading me into our house and away from the paramedics, who were now pulling a sheet over Mr. Santoni. I sobbed even harder as he shut the door behind us, pulling me over to the couch and sitting down. "Shh, Lex. It's alright."

I tried to pull myself together, the sobs just becoming more rapid. "C-Can't imagine i-if that h-happened to y-you," I managed to force out, and he rubbed my back, resting his chin on my head. "Sh-she had a b-baby a-and everything!"

"I know, I know," he whispered, and I shook my head, trying to stop crying. "I'm not going anywhere, sweetie. You're just upset, it's okay, I get it."

"W-what if that happened t-to me?" I cried, becoming more upset. Greg didn't say anything, just cradled me as I was, holding me as close to him as possible. "W-we both w-work d-dangerous jobs, I-I can't im-imagine y-you leaving me with a b-baby like that, or v-vice versa."

"Stop thinking about that," Greg pleaded, his own voice sounding strained, like he was having to force it out. "It's not going to happen, baby."

"I o-once read a s-s-story," I said, stumbling over my words. "T-there was this q-quote. 'We are not guaranteed tomorrow'. It's t-true, G-Greg!"

"I know that we're not, honey," he agreed, kissing the top of my head gently. "But I'm not jumping ship anytime soon. Don't worry."

"I'm such a baby," I whispered, feeling like there were no more tears to shed. "Here I am, crying my eyes out, when poor Mrs. Santoni just lost her husband. I'm so…so selfish."

"Lex," Greg said quietly, his voice soothing. "You are not selfish. You're pregnant and hormonal. It's okay to cry."

"You never do," I pointed out shakily.

He closed his eyes, sighing and shaking his head. "No, Lex, I do," he promised, smoothing out my hair. "I did when you were in the hospital after the lake incident. I cried after you were in the fire. I even cried after my parents yelled at me on the phone."

"That wasn't crying," I said firmly, and he raised an eyebrow. "You got frustrated."

"Maybe that's just my way of crying," he said, holding his hands around my own. "I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered, my eyelids begging to shut. "And so does the baby."

And with that, darkness enclosed around me.

…

"Okay, so we've got one dead body," a voice said loudly. I opened my eyes, looking around. I was in our bedroom, the covers wrapping around me securely. Greg's side was perfectly neat, as if he'd never slept there. I sighed and fell out of the bed, fighting to stand up properly. I stuck my head out the door, looking for the source of the voice. And sure enough, standing there with the rest of the team, was Russell. "Mother and daughter are going to be okay, and so is the youngest. Point of origin was upstairs, pipe bomb went off. Who's up to collecting parts?"

"I'm on it," Sara offered, raising her hand. I frowned and stuck my head out of our upstairs bedroom window.

"Who wants coffee?" I called down, knowing my hair looked like shit.

"Everyone!" Finn called back, and I grinned, giving her a thumbs up.

I hurried downstairs, so grateful Greg had already gotten our coffee ready the night before. I quickly pulled down 6 cups from the cabinet, pouring a decent amount in each of them before placing them on a tray. I put my slippers on, sliding out the door and setting the try down on top of Russell's Denali, which had been parked on the side of the road.

"Thanks," Morgan said with a grin, quickly taking one. "This is really going to help."

"Oh I'm sure," I laughed, adjusting my sloppy bun. "I'm gonna shower really quick, then be down to help process the scene."

"Oh no you're not," Russell said, coming up behind Morgan. "It may be all hands on deck but from what every single one of the neighbors told me, you were a mess. Too involved for this one, Lexi."

I glared at him, but gave up. "Fine," I grumbled. "Guess I'll sit in our room all day and do absolutely nothing."

"You look like you could use sleep," a voice said from a nearby car, and I heard the door shut. Ryan walked towards us, hands in his pockets. "And food."

"I ate plenty," I informed him, and Morgan nodded.

"By 'plenty', she means the whole box of pizza," she told him, grinning. He nodded, quirking a single eyebrow.

"Seems like I can remember a time when you did that…but you weren't pregnant, if I do recall correctly." He sneered playfully, and I rolled my eyes.

"I'll be inside if anyone needs me," I sighed, giving a half-hearted wave and walking inside my house. I shut the door behind me, hurrying back upstairs so I could watch them anxiously from the window. I felt like a stalker, but what else was I supposed to do? Watch re-runs of some old soap opera?

I didn't know the answer as I laid in bed, thinking about my baby. Was it a boy or girl? What would we do the nursery as? I didn't really know. I wanted pink and green for the girls room, I had already decided. And as for the boys room, well, I was just gonna let Greg pick.

The phone rang wildly, rudely interrupting my thoughts. I sighed and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Uh, is this Lexi?" a familiar voice asked nervously.

"Yes," I replied, sitting down on the side of the bed.

"This is Greg's mom, Kara."

"Oh," I said, slightly disappointed. "Can I help you?"

"Well, I called to talk to you because Greg's father, Robert, and myself, have been doing a lot of talking lately and…" I held my breath, though I didn't know why. If she decided that she wanted nothing to do with us, we would move on. "We want to be there for your baby. And we're both incredibly sorry for being so judgmental and rude-"

"It's fine, Mrs. Sanders," I assured her, feeling like a weight had been taken off my shoulders. "Really. You just want the best for Greg."

"And I also want grandbabies," she informed me, and I grinned. "I am just so excited for the two of you, Lexi. Nana Olaf nearly had a panic attack when she found out."

"Oh God, I totally forgot about her!" I exclaimed. "How is she?"

"She's doing very well, once I told her you were pregnant," she said, and I could hear her smiling. "I want to come down and see you and Gregory sometime soon."

"I hope to see you too, Mrs. Sanders," I laughed, and she squealed. "Work's busy, but I suppose it won't be any less if you come this month or in 6 months."

"Is that how long you have left?" she asked anxiously.

"11 and a half weeks, so we're callings it 3 months," I replied, and she squealed even louder. "Greg wants a boy."

"Of course he does!" she said firmly. "Sanders' boys turn out very good looking."

"Yes, they do," I agreed with a laugh, and she sighed.

"I really am sorry, Lexi. It wasn't your fault, it never has been."

"It's really okay, Mrs. Sanders. Please, stop apologizing. Greg and I are just happy you're okay with it."

"Is he there?" she asked hopefully, and I frowned.

"No, he's at a crime scene next door. There was an explosion at our neighbors house last night," I informed her, and she sighed dramatically.

"Okay, dear. Have him call me when he's done?" she asked.

"Will do, Mrs. Sanders."

"Goodbye, sweetie."

"Bye, Mrs. Sanders," I laughed, hanging up the phone. I sat there for a moment, digesting everything she had just told me. I wasn't exactly expecting her to just call me up and profusely apologize to me. I let out a satisfied grin before heading to the bathroom for a shower.

I couldn't wait to tell Greg.

…...

"Hey!" I greeted, watching as Greg stumbled through the door, looking purely exhausted. "Long day?"

"Wish you could have been there," he mumbled, falling onto the couch and slipping his shoes off. "Would have made everything so much easier."

"Blame Russell, not me," I defended, leaning against him. "Your mom called today."

"Oh no," he groaned. "What'd she say now?"

"She apologized," I said casually, and he looked down at me in surprise. "She said her and your father were going to be supportive. She also said that Nana Olaf was very, very happy for us."

"That is…great." Greg said in disbelief, rolling over so he was on top of me, his arms planked on either side of my shoulders. "My family's been a mess lately, what with Bree having her second kid two weeks ago."

"You didn't tell me about that!" I exclaimed, and he simply shrugged, dipping down and capturing my lips with his own. I kissed him back, but pulled away after a minute. "I am not even in the mood for sex tonight, so don't try."

He raised his eyebrows, settling back down next to me. "I hate you being pregnant sometimes."

"So do I," I agreed, and he kissed my cheek quickly. "What…what do you think about names? For the baby? And colors?"

"I think that you've had a long time to ponder this," he said playfully, clicking on the TV. "And it's a bit too early."

"It's never too early," I whined, and his arm fell over my shoulder. "Please, Greg. I know you've been thinking about it too, don't you dare lie to me."

"I've considered a few things, I hardly call that thinking," he muttered, and ran one of my hands through his hair, now straddling him. "Thought you said no sex?"

"I didn't know teasing you counted," I murmured, my lips running along his jaw line slowly. "Maybe if you just answered my questions you'd get lucky."

"Fine, just quit it," he sighed, picking me up and setting me down next to him. "I'm gonna need a beer for this."

I waited impatiently, not paying attention to the local news on despite my staring at the screen. "You wanna share?" I called, and he reappeared, sitting back down on the couch with an open beer.

"You wanna give our baby birth defects?" he asked me seriously, and I laid down so my head was on his lap.

"I was being sarcastic," I informed him, and he took a sip of his beer, setting the can on the table next to the couch. "What do you think about colors for a girls room?"

"Why do you need to worry about that?" he asked smartly, smirking and playing with my hair casually. "We're gonna have a boy anyways."

"Fine, what colors for a boys room?" I asked in defeat.

"Blue and green?" he offered, and I nodded slowly. "My room was orange. Hideous mess, too."

"So green works," I said, blinking up at him. He looked away, and I grinned. "Because if we have a girl I want her room to be green and pink."

"So we'll paint the walls green?" he confirmed, and I nodded, leaning up to kiss him. "That guest room up there is a bit more than big enough for a baby, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember," I said happily. "We can paint 2 walls green and then wait until the baby's born to paint the other ones, depending on the gender. But I'm gonna buy pink paint anyways, because I know it's a girl."

"There's a pool going on about that at work, you know," he told me, looking down at me and raising his eyebrows. "I'm surprised you're not in on it yourself."

"I didn't know about," I said, surprised. "And I told you once before, I'm a crappy gambler."

"I got 20 on it being a boy," he said, seeming almost casual about the whole thing.

"Who's betting on what?" I asked, looking at the beer on the table longingly.

"You'll have to check with Henry," Greg replied, and I sat up, my hair sticking out in odd places automatically. "He's usually in charge of money on pools, though I don't know why."

"Because he's honest, smart, and no one hates him," I pointed out, and Greg laughed, trying to push my hair back down. "How much is it up to?"

"Two grand," he replied, sipping on his beer again. My eyes widened in shock.

"That much for the gender of a _kid_?" I asked, laughing at the end. Greg grinned, reaching out and kissing my forehead. "They realize that I have 6 months left, right?"

"Oh, they realize that," he promised, and I shook my head. "Henry's everything so organized, there's this little sign up sheet by the door of his lab and everything."

"Way to get some money off us," I mumbled, and he smiled cheekily, intertwining our fingers as he held my hand. "You guys get anywhere on the Santoni case?"

"You know I can't tell you," he reminded me, and I frowned in disappointment.

"Come on, who I am gonna tell?" I asked him seriously, and he just shrugged. "Seriously, Greg, think about it. What's going on?"

"Fine," he said, accepting defeat. "The wife is our main suspect."

"Aiden or Tyler?" I randomly asked, and he looked over at me in confusion. "Just pick which name you like best, Greg."

"Aiden," he answered unsurely, and I grinned. "Why?"

"I like those names for a boy," I answered, and he raised a suspicious eyebrow at me. "What? I'm not totally against the idea of a little Greg running around here, you know."

"But you'd rather have a little Lexi," he filled in, and I shrugged. "You don't care now that everyone's betting on it?"

"No, it's not that I don't care, it's just that…" I struggled to find words for my feeling as I trailed off. "I'll be happy either way."

"So will I," he promised. "I love you."

"Love you too."

…

"Hey there, Henry," I said happily, popping into his lab. He looked up and raised an eyebrow at me. I smiled brightly, and he rolled his eyes.

"You want to know who bet on what, don't you?" he guessed, and I nodded, entering the lab completely. "List in on the wall."

I wandered over to the list, examining it carefully.

_Girl_

_Hodges-200_

_Doc Robbins-150_

_Finn-400_

_Nick-65_

_Mandy-200_

_Archie-350_

_Morgan-200_

_Boy_

_Greg-200_

_Henry-500_

_Russell-100_

_Sara-150_

_Dave-50_

_Brass-10_

"Who the hell isn't in on this?" I asked in disbelief, and Henry shrugged. "Greg told me last night it was at 2 grand!"

"Well, with Archie and Finn's bets in, we're currently at 3725," he replied, and I groaned, running a hand through my hair. "Oh relax. They've got 6 months of waiting to do."

"Who the hell bets 500 dollars on my unborn child's gender?" I exclaimed, and Henry blushed, looking away from me. "Oh, that's right. _You _do."

"I must say I scientifically think it's a boy!" Henry defended, and I narrowed my eyes.

"And how do you think that?" I asked, crossing my arms in disbelief.

He sighed. "Okay, so I don't have a scientific way. Am I not allowed to bet that much money or something?" he asked innocently, and I shook my head wordlessly, leaving his lab. I stormed into the break room, crossing my arms at the team, all of whom were drinking coffee together.

"You said it was just 2 grand!" I yelled, pointing accusingly at Greg.

"She found out?" Hodges groaned, and I turned to glare openly at him.

"You were the first on the list," I pointed out through clenched teeth. "Come on, you guys, do we have to have a bet for every single event?"

"Henry and I are trying to simply prove something to each other," Finn said, holding her hands up. "Besides, the bigger the pool, the more money the winning side gets."

"Cases!" DB announced, bursting through the door. "Lexi, you and Nick have a possible 419 in the desert. Greg, you and Sara have a B & E at the strip club-"

"How about I go with Lexi?" Greg offered, and I rolled my eyes, motioning for Nick to follow me.

"Let go, Greg." I said simply, and he stared at me in confusion. Nick and I walked out of the break room, Nick nudging me.

"You'd better have a girl," Nick laughed, slinging an arm around my shoulder. "I want to be Uncle Nick to her, because Greg sure as hell isn't going to stand up to her boyfriends."

"Are you kidding me?" I asked, a smile twitching on my cheeks. "Greg's going to be the most protective dad anyways, boy or girl."

"And how do you predict that?" he asked curiously, raising a single eyebrow at me.

"Have you not seen the way he's been treating me this past month?"

"True."

"But really, I try to discuss baby colors and stuff with him, and he's not that into it," I sighed, pursing my lips. "But I think he's just nervous. So I give him options to choose from."

"Such as?" Nick prompted.

"Well I offered green, he said yes. We'll paint two walls light green, and if it's a boy we'll paint the other two blue, and if it's a girl we'll paint the other two light pink." I explained quickly.

"I see."

By now we had reached his car, and I skillfully leaped into the passenger's seat. "I think he's really excited though. And nervous, of course."

"And normal guy would be," Nick said simply, backing out of the parking garage. "Greggo will be a great dad."

"He better be," I said with a laugh, pulling out my phone. "You up for breakfast at our house after shift? I'll make pancakes."

"Sure," he agreed, and I nodded.

_Nick's coming ovr for bfast this morn, pancakes sound good? Love u, xox-_

My text was interrupted, the sound of tires screeching making me head snap up as our car spun uncontrollably, ramming into a wall. I immediately pressed send, hoping that if anything happened Greg would at least get that.

We seemed to spin and screech and slam into everything for a good 2 minutes, 2 different cars brutally running into our in the middle of the street.

And then it stopped.

I leaned back in relief, shutting my eyes and feeling my forehead, which now had a nasty cut. What the hell had been up with the past 2 days? My neighbor's house and now this? I groaned at the feeling in my wrist, and how it bent unnaturally. I heard a door open from Nick's side, and opened my eyes. Two guys were dragging him out of the car, and he was unconscious. I shook my head, trying to protest, when a guy leaned in a whispered in my ear:

"You'll hear from us soon, babycakes."

And with that, I watched in horror as they shoved Nick inside the backseat of one of their huge trucks.

**A/N: Haha, yeah, you hate me. Or you're excited about this new twist. I don't really mind either way.**

**I hated to put the fire and the car crash in one chapter, though the fire didn't exactly correlate directly to Lexi or Greg, so I found it acceptable? I don't really know. That's your job: let me know!**

**And Greg's moms phone call? I love Mrs. Sanders.(:**

**What did you think of the pool? I don't really know how anyone else does pools, but at the place that I work, when we have pools, they DO get that big and they DO split the money like that. Thought it was hilarious to write, though!**

**Who likes the colors for the baby's room? I do! Well, of course I do. I also love the baby name talk this chapter AND last chapter, but you shouldnt take my word on any of that for a definite name.**

**Way to reach the reviewing goal last chapter.(: Let's get to 21 reviews before a new chapter? Yeah? I love all you anon reviewers too!:)**

**REVIEWWW REVIEWW REVIEWWWW!**

**Thanks readers.:)**


	6. A Puzzle Puts Itself Together

**A/N: don't own CSI.**

The world was spinning in slow motion, everything was positively unbearable. My vision had gone blurry, my hearing felt like I was listening to a phone call conversation. I could distantly see people running around, others with damaged cars as well. There was screaming, and I closed my eyes again, wanting to escape from it all. I clutched my stomach, hoping my baby was okay. I had to stop going through this shit, it was becoming too much for me and the baby both.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" a voice asked worriedly, though it sounded like it had an accent, and I turned to look out my window. A teenage girl was looking at me expectantly, and realization flooded over me upon seeing it was Caitlyn Safford. I nodded, waving for her to go away. "I shouldn't leave you, lady. Paramedics are on their way."

"Not going with them," I said, but began to feel dizzy. I leaned back in the seat, trying to make everything disappear. "I'm fine."

"Lexi?" a voice called, and my eyes snapped open. It wasn't Caitlyn's voice, for when I looked up, she had left me there. I sat up, and tried to open my door. Pain pulled through my wrist, and I realized that the smaller car in front of me was blocking my way out. I groaned, trying to push it forward again, but without an luck. "Lexi? Where are you?"

"Over here!" I yelled back weakly, and rattled the door handle.

"She's over here somewhere, you guys! Come on!" Sara's voice yelled, and I looked out the window hopefully, waving my hand. The wreckage in front of me was sickening. At least 10 cars had fallen victim to the accident, and I shook my head in disbelief. Mothers were crawling out of their cars, grasping their children like a life preserver. I didn't understand, at first, how Sara couldn't just see me, or my voice couldn't just lead her. But when I looked in front of me. I realized 5 or 6 more cars had landed on and around Nick's Denali. I swallowed hard, knowing I just had to wait on them. The driver's side had been smashed into a wall, and I wondered how injured Nick was.

"Lexi? Lex, say something!" a voice shouted in the distance. I knew it belonged to Finn.

"You're close!" I cried back, toughening up and grabbing the handle above my door. I grabbed it firmly, standing on the seat. Parts of my window had been broken, and I gave a swift kick before breaking the rest of the glass so I could escape. I carefully stuck one leg out, landing it one the roof of the car next to me, and did the same with my other leg. I balanced painfully on the edge of the Denali's roof. I let go carefully, now standing on the roof of the other car.

"Lexi!" a voice bellowed, and I looked over, seemingly in a haze, to where Hodges was hurrying towards me. "Hey, you're okay, come here." I nodded and took his hand, him gently leading me down the car, my feet sliding across the windshield. "God, you're okay."

He enveloped me in a tight hug, and I felt at a lack of air. I nodded and let out a deep breath. "I'm fine, Hodges, really."

"I found her!" he called back happily, carefully guiding me away from the crash. "I got her guys! I have Lexi!"

"Why can't they hear you?" I whispered, and he pursed his lips. "Hodges?"

"I heard you, Lexi. I don't know the answer though." He said worriedly, and he led me through a mixed up crash. I saw Greg and Sara come into view, Sara wiping away tears. I scrunched my eyebrows in ultimate confusion, before Greg came running towards me. I fell into him, watching as Hodges stepped away from us. Greg hugged me tightly, his body expressing defeat and frustration. He had let his guard down.

"I'm okay, Greg, I'm here," I said quietly to him, and heard him let out a sob. I nodded slowly, stroking the back of his head. "We're gonna find Nicky, I promise."

"So worried," he choked out, and I nodded understandingly. "I didn't w-want you to g-get hurt."

"It's alright," I promised him, and felt Sara place a hand on my shoulder. I pulled away from Greg slightly, raising an eyebrow at her. "Hmm?"

"We need all hands on deck right now, while the leads are fresh," she informed me, and I immediately let go of Greg, nodding. "Are you oaky?"

"Completely fine," I assured her. "Let me get my kit."

She nodded, and I fought through the rubble and car parts as I struggled to reach my case, which was settled on the passenger's seat floorboard. I reached in, carefully pulling it out. I returned to them, where DB had now appeared. "If everyone's uninjured," he began, looking at me pointedly. "Then we need to get going. Lexi, when I get done speaking with you, I want you and Morgan working the driver's side door, look for prints."

"Got it," Morgan confirmed, already walking that way.

"Everyone else had better be following standard procedure right now. Hodges, I want you back in trace, we're going to need you. Sara and Finn, I want you two processing all of the other cars here, and Greg, you need to be looking for any known enemies of Nick right now."

"Alright, let's go," Sara sighed, her and Finn walking off towards the remnants of the wreckage. Everyone else departed, Greg and Hodges both walking back towards the lab.

"Lexi," DB said, pulling me away from my thoughts. I looked up, walking over to where he was standing. "Tell me everything that happened, beginning to end."

"Nick and I were discussing him coming over for breakfast," I began shakily. "And then two cars ran into us. I think the first one hit the Denali from the back, and the second one hit it from the middle."

"Good, good. What did you see after that?"

"They…they kept running into us. Or maybe it wasn't them, maybe it was other cars that had just been tossed around. I don't know. They opened Nick's door, pulled him out. Then one…" I trailed off, my eyes falling to the beaten Denali. "One of them told me I would hear from him. They put Nick in their backseat, and drove off."

"Which way?" Russell asked, and I pointed north, where the pileup was less excessive. "Thanks, Lexi. That helps a lot. Now let's get going, our guy needs us."

"Yeah," I said quietly in agreement, walking over to where Morgan was dusting the outside of the door. "How's it going?"

"Think I may have some prints," she muttered, clearly in deep concentration and thought. "Right here, above this window. And right here, on the window seal."

"Good," I sighed, pulling the strips out of my kit. I pressed one against the window seal, pulling it off and examining it. "Mandy better be able to get prints off of these."

"Agreed."

….

I hurried through the break room, nearly ripping the refrigerator door off its hinges. I scavenged for some of Hodges Tasty Time, but sighed in defeat upon my realization that it was empty.

"You hungry?" Greg mumbled from the table. I turned and looked at him, surprised he was there and I hadn't noticed.

"Yeah," I admitted, and he stood up, grabbing his car keys.

"What sounds good?" he asked miserably. He had bags under his red and puffy eyes, like everything had been incredibly stressful with whatever he was doing.

"A milkshake," I said distantly, my eyes wandering. "But don't go if you have stuff to do. Finding Nick is more important."

"It is," he agreed, walking past me and towards the door. "Look over the files in the left pile, I'll get your food."

"Thanks," I called, and he gave a short wave in response. I felt my heart ache at the sight of him so upset and bleak. The memory of him actually crying played in my head, and I clenched my jaw in anger and newfound determination to find the bastards who took Nick.

I sat down at the table, looking through the left pile of papers. Sure enough, Greg had plenty of papers about past cases in which people had complained about Nick. The most recent was a wealthy college student named Brandon Murry. Apparently he claimed he never saw a physical warrant before his house was bombarded. In the end, Nick and his uniforms found the murder weapon along with the clothes Murry wore when killed a woman by the name of Milah Ives.

I sighed, scratching my head and looking at the picture of the student. He wore crooked glasses, with trim cut hair. He was scrawny as a stick, and quiet honestly, looked like he couldn't hurt a fly. I set his file at the top of the table, promising to get back to it later.

The next complaint was from 6 months ago, where Nick had gone out and looked at a suicide. Apparently the man's younger brother found it offensive for Nick to crack a joke about what direction the kid seemed to think he was headed, given that he jumped off of a balcony. I smirked, knowing Nick hadn't meant any harm.

I set the file in right hand stack of papers, feeling like my only current lead could be on Brandon Murry. Picking up the file, I looked through it again, trying to be more thorough. Brandon was an A's and B's students through high school, played baseball but got cut from the Varsity team for getting in a fight. I stared at his picture, narrowing my eyes at the tattoo on his left shoulder, only part of it visible. My eyes widened in immediate recognition, and I returned back to the information.

_Age 21, Junior at WLVU. Was top in the advanced neurosciences class, taught by Mr. James Monroe of Las Vegas. Monroe is currently serving life for the murder of his father, Terrance Monroe. The Terrance Monroe cased was closed in January, when James Monroe and his wife admitted to killing him. James Monroe later received a count of kidnapping when he assisted men in taking his children away as a set up to kill CSI Sidle. The children currently reside with their aunt, Cheryl Murry, legal guardian of Brandon Murry._

"Shit," I hissed, snatching up the file and rushing towards Russell's office. I entered, throwing the file down onto his desk. "This is gang related."

"And how do you know that?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes at me. I opened up the page and pointed to Nick's notes.

"Brandon Murry's a former student of Mr. James Monroe, father of Eliza and Samantha," I said quickly, pointing that part out on the paper. "He's also James Monroe's nephew."

"Right, so what makes you think he was as involved in this gang stuff as Lanie and James were?" Russell sighed, and I pointed to his picture.

"This tattoo on his shoulder. Diddy and Horace Malcolm both had and have the same one." I said breathlessly, standing back and looking at Russell hopefully.

"Wait a minute," he muttered, and spun around in his chair, grabbing a file on the small desk behind him. I watched as he flipped through it before setting it on the table. "Horace Malcolm and James Monroe, both inmates in the Nevada State Prison about 40 miles into the desert," he noted, and turned to Brandon Murry's file. "Brandon Murry and Horace Malcolm are cell mates."

"You guys," Morgan said, entering the office with wide eyes. "Mandy got a hit off CODIS, the fingerprints and the hair I found on the inside of the door match up."

"Assumingly," Russell said, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you telling us this?"

"The CODIS hit was Jackson Murry, in the system for a DUI a couple years back," she said, glancing between me and Russell. "And Henry got another hit, on top of that."

"What?" I asked, scrunching my eyebrows in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"7 out of 13 epithials in common with a Mr. Brandon Murry."

"And like that, the dots connect themselves," I muttered, looking back at DB. "I'm going to prison."

…

He entered the booth, glaring at me openly. I had never seen him before, but he surely looked like a nerd and didn't look like a murderer. "You must be Lexi Smith," he assumed, picking up the phone.

"And you're Brandon Murry," I replied, studying him. His glasses appeared even more crooked, probably from getting himself into fights. "How'd you know who I am?"

"M said you'd eventually figure this out," he said simply, resting his chin on his hand and leaning forward. "So, what have you figured out?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "That you had Nick Stokes kidnapped," I said coldly, and he chuckled. "Look, if it's money you want, I'm sure we can figure something out. He's already been through something similar to this once before."

"I don't want your money," he spat, and I recoiled slightly. "It's revenge, bitch. Look it up."

"You…you were involved in trying kill Sara Sidle, weren't you?" I guessed, and he smirked. "You were the one who started the fire, not Diddy."

"I ditched him," he said, shrugging. "It was _his _job to kill the kids, not mine."

"It was just your job to start the fire," I filled in, and he nodded. "Of course it was. You were the top student in your uncles neuroscience class."

"Correct," he said. His voice sent chills up my spine, just how okay he was with killing people. "I was."

"You enjoy making bombs, don't you?" I hissed, and he grinned. "You started the hospital fire with a bomb."

"Almost killed your boyfriend, too," he chuckled, and anger flared inside me. "So close. But I'll take Stokes. After all, he's the reason I'm here right now."

"You son of a bitch," I growled, and he laughed hysterically. "What do you want? What do you need so we can get Nick back?"

"Look, you'll find out soon enough."

"Stupid bastard," I snapped, standing up and slamming the phone back onto the hook. Stressed, I walked out of the booth and ran a hand through my hair and shaking my head.

"Lexi?"

I looked to my left, where a group of prisoners were standing, joking and nudging each other about something. And standing in front of them all, was Tanner.

"I don't have time," I said shortly, shaking my head and walking out of the prison. My phone rang wildly, and I hesitantly picked it up. "Smith."

"Lexi," Russell said into the phone, sounding worried. "We got a video."

…...

I burst through the crime lab doors, immediately heading into the AV lab. Archie was screwing around with some link, and everyone was gathered around behind the counter, watching him. "Hey," I said softly to Greg, who's head was down. "You okay?"

"No," he said dryly, not meeting my eyes.

I nodded, wrapping an arm around his waist and watching Archie. "Got it!" he said finally, and he clicked on something. A video popped up, showing a room. It looked like an office, but I couldn't really tell.

"Hello, CSI's," the voice said smoothly, and I felt sick to my stomach at the recognition. It sounded just like Brandon's, only deeper. "I'm so glad your incredibly smart AV lab technician figured out how to embed the code correctly, or else Mr. Stokes right here would be dead in 7 days."

He laughed loudly, and I grit my teeth together. Everyone seemed to look at Archie, who was leaning back in his chair and watching intently. "Well, I do have to apologize to Miss Smith, you weren't meant to be in that accident. I hope that baby's okay."

His maniacal laugh made my heart jump into my throat. I touched my stomach in slight anger, something inside me wanting to kill him then and there.

"Mr. Stokes is certainly enjoying his time with us…aren't you?" the man said coolly, and he moved the camera. There was Nick, lying on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back. Greg stiffened from next to me, and I placed my hand on his arm gently.

Nick let out a groan. "You guys…don't worry…bout me…" he coughed, and tears welled in my eyes. That could have been me. I could have been the one they took.

"Ah, Nicky, I'm afraid they are!" a voice chuckled, and the camera flashed to the man himself. He looked like Brandon, except he had to be mid-forties. "You have 7 days, dear CSI's. 7 days to find him. Though I know you won't, but that is the task at hand. Just come and find him, no money necessary."

"However," he said, seemingly contemplating all of this. "Sara Sidle needs to be the one to get him, if you do indeed find us. Good luck. Oh, and Miss Smith, don't stress too much, it's bad for the baby!" his harsh laughter struck a chord in me, and I covered my mouth, shaking my head. "Oh my, I can't wait to see your bouncing baby boy or girl! Ha!" His laughter continued, and there was pure silence throughout the room. "Oh gosh, I just love these games. Don't you?"

"Well, I need to be going, don't I now?" he chuckled, and flashed the camera back on Nick. "Oh, poor Nicky. He'll never get to know that kid, will he?" He cackled, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. For once in a while, I felt suffocated by fear. "Oh, Sara, I can't wait to see you. I suspect Alexandra will accompany you, once you found out where we're residing." Sara looked around, clearly unknowing of who 'Alexandra' was. "Let the game begin."

And with those chilling words, the lights in the room Nick and he were at went out. A night cam turned on, showing the man walking out of the room and leaving Nick.

"Dammit!" Sara snapped, hitting the counter. Everyone visibly jumped, even Greg, who had been still as a statue. "Archie, is this feed live?"

He did some clicking before looking back and nodding to her. "I can see if it's possible to trace."

"Yeah, work on that," Russell said quietly, just as Sara stormed out of the room. Finn walked after her, leaving the 5 of us to look around at each other, Archie evidently uncomfortable.

"I need air," Morgan said, hurrying out of the room. I had a feeling she was going to find Ryan, but didn't say anything.

I checked my watch, noting that it was 9 am now, which explained why I was so exhausted. I fought off a yawn, looking at the ground. "I really don't care which one of you goes home," Russell sighed, motioning between Greg and I. "But one of you will."

"Go," I ordered, turning to look at Greg. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"I'm not tired, and you shouldn't worry about me," he snapped, now glaring. "Besides, you're sleeping for two. You go."

"Fine, both stay then!" Russell interrupted grumpily. "I need to clear my head, I'll be back."

"Coffee," Archie said shortly, standing up and leaving the AV room, so it was just Greg and I. He stared down at me, looking partially broken and partially angry.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, falling into him and hugging him as tight as I could. "I'm sorry I'm grumpy, I just wanna find Nick."

"I do too," Greg said, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Let's just…get back to work, okay?"

I looked up at him in surprise that he had just said that, and I nodded sadly. "Fine," I mumbled. "I guess I'll start by going with Brass to the Murry's house?"

"Good idea," Greg said, kissing my forehead quickly and walking past me. I stood there momentarily. Since when had he been such a grouch? And didn't he care that that man was threatening or unborn child?

The thought ripped through me, remembering what that guy had said. _I can't wait to see your bouncing baby boy or girl! _Fear and confusion struck through my body, and I could now feel myself shaking.

"Lexi?" a voice asked cautiously from the door. I looked over at Hodges, who was walking towards me, looking worried. "You okay there?"

"Fine," I said, swallowing. "Really."

"No, you're not," he said, shaking his head. "Come on, why don't we find something for you do?"

"Gotta go with Brass," I said distantly, not really knowing what I was saying. "Have to…go to someone's house."

"I think you need to sleep," Hodges advised, and I shook my head. "What was in that video, Lexi?"

"He knows my real name," I whispered, my blue eyes temporarily glued to the floor. "He knows my name, he knows I'm pregnant."

"You're real name?" he asked in confusion.

"Alexandra is my real name," I muttered, shaking my head. "And he knows that. He knows we don't know the gender of my baby yet. He's such a sick bastard…"

"Agreeably, Lexi," Hodges said, patting my shoulder. "But you need sleep. Come on, let me drive you home."

"Gotta help Nick," I said, not even realizing he was leading me away from where we were. "Greg's pissed, I gotta find Nick. He'll be happy, and we can all sleep."

"Or you could sleep now," he breathed, and I turned to glare at him, now waking up a little more.

"I need coffee!" I declared running towards the pot. I knew I should go with Brass, but I thought I had seen Finn head that direction already.

"You really think that much caffeine and sugar is good for a developing fetus?" Hodges asked, following me into the break room. I blushed as Greg looked up on cue. "I'm just saying-"

"The baby isn't going to end up with a deformed face if I have a cup of coffee," I said firmly, and Greg smirked. "What are you, my baby doctor?"

"Or a caring friend," he pointed out, crossing his arms. "You and I both know you need sleep."

"And we both know that we have 7 days to find Nick," I growled. "No time to waste."

….

My cell phone vibrated, and I looked over at it from where I was rereading the last few case files from 3 months ago, after the fire incident. _Family meeting, AV lab. Now. _I stood up, taking the case file with me and heading for the AV Lab.

Archie was staring blankly at the screen, looking in a state of shock. Finn and Greg were whispering in hushed tones to each other about something, and Morgan entered with Ryan, right after I did. I looked between all of us, now confused as to what the meeting was for. Sara and Hodges entered next, Sara still looking furious and upset.

"Okay, the reason we're having a family meeting is because we have approximate coordinates, as far as where Nick's kidnapper is," Russell explained, motioning to large map on the screen. "Archie, care to tell them?"

"Yeah," he said quietly, sighing and typing in a few things. "Based off of the wireless connection and the live feed, I was able to figure out the state," he said, and clicked a few thinks. I watched as a large circle formed around the state of Arizona, and my breath caught. "Then, using the embedding codes I had used once before, I came up with a city."

The circle formed around Phoenix, and my heart dropped. "That's where Nick is."

"And that's why he expects me to go with Sara," I muttered, my eyes never leaving the map. "He knows I worked in Phoenix."

**A/N: BAM! I felt like that was a fairly cliffy ending, sorry if you hated it. And yeah, we were so going to return to the ending of TN.**

**Mwahaha.**

**I can't really specify a lot of things about next chapter and blah blah blah, because I'm keeping this authors note short and sweet. And I probably won't update before Thanksgiving so I hope you all have a great turkey day! Feel free to let me know what you'll be doing in your reviews!:)**

**25 reviews before next chapter?:) **

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**Thanks you guys.(:**


	7. Back to the Beginning

**A/N: Don't own CSI.**

"Always hated this city," I grumbled, walking off the plane and into the crowdedness of Phoenix airport. Morgan stood next to me, pulling two suitcases behind her. Ryan followed her, glancing around the airport. "I much prefer Vegas."

I turned around and watched as Greg, Finn, Sara and Russell came out next, tugging their luggage as well. "You know, I really hate working with other crime labs," Sara commented, and I smirked. "They're always so territorial."

"Let's go, gang," Russell sighed, walking past us and towards our rental cars, which were waiting outside for us.

"Lexi Smith?" a voice laughed from somewhere nearby. It sounded so familiar, like I had maybe heard it in a dream or something. I looked around, and immediately spotted the source of the voice. Kyle was standing a few feet away, arms crossed and wearing his typical Garrett grin. I dropped my luggage, embracing him tightly in a hug. I could feel the eyes of everyone, but ignored them. "Sexy Lexi, what are you doing here?"

"Hey, that's my nickname for her!" a different voice protested, and looked over to see Emerie and Nathan walking towards us, each holding a Starbucks. "No stealing, you sick bastard."

I smiled and hugged Nate, missing him as well. "No name calling," I said warmly in his ear, and he hugged me tighter. "You two never change, do you?"

"No, they don't," Emerie spoke up, and moved so I could hug her as well. "Woah there. Watch the coffee, Lex."

"I really did miss you guys," I said with a broad grin as I pulled away from them. "So much."

"However," Kyle spoke up, frowning. "You're not here to visit us, are you?"

"How can you tell?" I asked sadly, and Nathan motioned to everyone behind me, all of whom were watching us.

"Your posy," he said quietly, and Emerie rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that look, Em. You know that she's moved on, and you're too upset to talk about it."

"You gonna introduce us, or what?" she asked impatiently, and I motioned them over to everyone.

"Emerie, Nate, and Kyle, this is Sara Sidle, Morgan Brody, Ryan Houghton, my supervisor, DB Russell, Finn, and my boyfriend, Greg Sanders." I introduced proudly, and everyone gave a wave of recognition. "Guys, these are my ex-coworkers."

"You're her boyfriend?" Kyle asked, arching and eyebrow and crossing his arms. I blushed, looking away at his brotherliness.

"Yeah," Greg answered nervously, and I saw Sara look away in slight laughter.

"Kyle Garrett, nice to meet you," he greeted, shaking hands with him. "I'm glad Lex isn't dating a dirtbag."

"Shut up," I hissed, and looked back at them. "We really have to get to our hotel, but after we get this case solved, we'll go out to dinner. Kay?"

"You guys are here about Nicholas Stokes, huh?" Emerie sighed, and I scrunched my eyebrows at her. "Yeah, we heard about it. In fact, we received a video yesterday."

"What?" Finn exclaimed, and everyone seemed to be looking at Emerie more importantly now. "And we weren't informed?"

"It didn't specify what crime lab he was from!" she defended, holding her arms up. "Severson was supposed to run the name through the system today. But I guess he's from Vegas, huh?"

"Yeah." Sara said, running a hand through her hair and appearing ultimately defeated. "Look, we'll be at the lab in a few hours, Miss…?"

"Sparks," she filled in, giving her a brief smile. "Call me Emerie."

"Right, Emerie," Morgan said, pursing her lips. "We'll be up around then. For now though, we have a hotel to check into."

"Right," I agreed, giving my friends a sad smile. "We'll catch up later, guys."

"Bye, Lex," Kyle called as we began to walk away. Greg placed a hand around my waist as we reached the doors, and I looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Someone's in a better mood," I muttered so quietly that no one else around could hear. "Feeling hopeful?"

"I'm just…sorry," he sighed, kissing the side of my head gently. "I already told you that Nick was buried in a glass coffin once before, right?"

"Yeah, you told me," I breathed. "He must be reliving that all over again."

"Which is what is killing me," Sara said loudly, turning and glaring at Greg. "You just felt like you had to share that with everyone, didn't you? It was 8 years ago, we need to forgive and forget. That's what Nick always wanted."

"I was trying to be discrete," he snapped, narrowing his eyes at her. "And what if this has a connection to that or something, huh?"

"It doesn't," she said firmly, opening the door to one of the rental cars, a large silver suburban. "Believe me."

With that, she slammed the door shut, and DB clambered into the passenger seat, Finn taking her spot in the backseat. Someone tossed their luggage in the trunk for them, and Sara sped out of the airport parking lot. I looked at Morgan and Ryan in slight surprise, and they both just shrugged.

"I'll drive," I said awkwardly, fighting as I pulled my heavy suitcase up, before Ryan came behind me and gave it a push. "Thanks."

"You remember how to get around here, Lexi?" Greg asked as he looked over at me. Morgan shut the door to the backseat, and Ryan buckled up, being the safety freak he was.

"Of course," I assured him, and started the suburban. "In fact, the hotel we're staying at isn't half bad."

"Ever had a case there?" Ryan asked curiously, and I turned back and smirked at him.

"Quite a few," I answered, and backed out slowly, my mind swimming in a sea of curiosity.

If we ever found Nick, which, in my opinion at least, we _had _to, would he be okay? Knowing that he had been through something similar to this ripped my heart in half. Was Nick a loud mouth sometimes? Yes. Could he be opinionated and get on my nerves? Hell yes.

But he was still human.

And he didn't deserve to go through this.

…

"Welcome to Phoenix, CSI's," Jackson Murry's cold and harsh voice said slickly. "I'm happy to see Archie Johnson assisted you in getting you this far."

He let out a maniacal laugh, and Ryan clenched his jaw. Emerie, Nathan, and Kyle, all of whom stood behind us, watched in disgust. "You all look slightly jet-lagged," he chuckled, leaning back in whatever chair he was in. "Nicky's pretty sleepy from the drive, as well. Can you blame him though? Anyways, I was just sending this to remind you that you have…" he checked his watch and smiled sickly. "5 days left."

"Of course, you have hopefully made the location connection, here. No? Then simply ask dear Alexandra!" he said happily, quirking an eyebrow at the camera. "Isn't it a small world, sweetheart?" Greg's hands formed into fists, and I just watched the camera. "The live feed is still available, as long as your AV lab technician figures it out."

"I really must ask you if you feel stupid," he asked darkly. "You believed that the entire time, this all fell back to Sara Sidle. That we were still after her." He examined his nails. "We will, of course, kill her in the end. As well as 2 others."

"Remember your first day as a CSI, Alexandra?" he whispered, and chills ran up and down my spine. "You shot that man in the hostage situation? 5 years ago you thought you didn't have to think about it further. You won't forget it when I'm done with you. This isn't about Sidle or Stokes. This is about you. You just keep leading your team into this, you stupid bitch."

"This has to do with a lot of things besides you, don't worry. This has to do with Stokes busting my son, Brandon. That's why he's the one going through hell right now, Lexi." Tears brimmed my eyes, and I wiped them away furiously. "Sidle is involved in this for that same reasons as last time. And you, Alexandra?"

"This is all a game of karma. You killed one of us, and we'll kill one of you. You can choose, dear. Stokes, or you _and _your unborn child?" he said, laughing hysterically. "Sounds like you have a lot of thinking to do. I'll just leave you to that."

And with that, the video clicked off. Everyone's eyes fell onto me, and I shook my head in disbelief. "He's going to kill Nick if I don't give up," I muttered, and Emerie shook her head.

"No way in hell is he going near you." She said firmly, and tilted her head. "You're pregnant?"

"Yeah." I answered uncomfortably, and she engulfed me in a hug.

"That bastard is going to end up dead, end of story. Even if I have to put the bullet in him myself." She paused, and glanced back at Kyle and Nathan. "He almost shot Nate. You did the right thing by shooting Jared Murry when you had the chance."

"Skyler, tell me that you're working on that embedment code?" Kyle asked, looking at the AV tech. Skyler nodding, still typing wildly. "Thanks, man."

"Yeah," he mumbled, and I leaned backwards against Greg, who rubbed my back slowly. "I don't know how long this'll take me. Give it an hour, okay?"

"What do we do now?" Finn sighed, looking around worriedly. "We can't just let him do this. He's playing with us, and he's using Nick as bait."

"It seems pretty damn clear to me," I said quietly. "I just give myself up, and Nick and Sara end up okay. No questions necessary."

"Are you fucking crazy?" Nathan seethed, and I looked back at him guiltily. "Emerie's right; there's no way he's going to lay a finger on you."

"His antics aren't stopping there," someone said from the doorway, and I recognized the older woman as CSI Gwen Wright. "A package just showed up on our doorstep."

We followed her into an evidence room, where the package was covered in fingerprint dust. "You work fast," Finn commented, sounding impressed.

"Yeah, well, we wanted to hurry up and open it," she said, shaking her head at it. "There's no bombs or anything, we had it checked for timers."

"What the hell is he playing at," I breathed, watching painfully as a lab tech opened the package slowly. Gwen reached in and slowly pulled something out, and my stomach lurched. She held up Nick's vest carefully.

"Dammit!" Finn yelled, slamming her hand onto the table.

"Son of a bitch," Greg hissed, turning away and walking out of the evidence room.

"Look," the lab tech said, and pulled out an envelope. _Las Vegas CSI. _The name that it was addressed to alone made me furious. He knew. He knew we'd figure it out, and he knew we'd end up here. We were now feeding into and playing his game. And there was nothing we could do but participate.

"Print it," Gwen ordered sharply, and the tech nodded before hurrying into a different room with the letter. "Look, I know you guys have traveled this far to get some answers. But this is also our case. Don't forget it."

Her words hung in the air as she stormed out of the room, leaving us to stare at the vest she had tossed onto the evidence board, which held a map of Phoenix on it.

DB and Finn exchanged a look before leaving as well. Morgan ran a hand through her hair in ultimate frustration, and exited promptly. Ryan followed her, leaving me and Emerie, Nathan, plus Kyle.

"Congratulations on being pregnant," Nate muttered, his eyes falling to my stomach. "You do look like it, I guess. Just wasn't trying to spot it."

"Yeah, congrats, Lex," Kyle added in agreement. "Even the happiest things can happen in shitty times."

The lump in my throat exploded into a sob, and Nate enveloped me in his arms. Everything Jackson Murry had said was crashing down on me, and I kicked myself for crying here. I had told myself, all those years ago, that I wouldn't come back. And that I would never cry in that crime lab again. Yet here I was.

And I knew that we had to save Nick. But time was ticking, and there was one option:

Die for him, or watch him die.

…

I stood up, rising from the couch and stumbling over to the bed in the hotel room. I clicked the TV off quickly, and looked over to where Greg's still form laid, his back facing me as he stared out the hotel window. He had been silent for the last hour, and it was really killing me. I crawled in bed next to him, lying on my back and gazing up at the ceiling in silence.

"I don't blame you for being upset," I finally said, my voice tearing the silence to shreds. He rolled over and looked at me.

"I want this bastard dead," he said, his own voice cracking considerably. "He goes after my best friend, my girlfriend, my unborn child…"

"Don't worry, please," I begged, and he placed a hand on my stomach where the bump had been growing a lot lately. "It's all gonna be okay."

"Sure, sure," he said, closing his eyes and rubbing the bump. "I am not putting you or this baby in any more danger. First the lake, then the car wreck. No more."

"Greg," I sighed, scooting closer so he had to look at me. "I don't want to either. But don't you want to see Nick come out of there alive?"

He looked away from me, and nodded distractedly. "I want all 3 of you to be okay. And God, Lex, the stuff he's saying about you and the baby, and that fact that this all comes back to you…"

"It's my fault." I said bluntly, looking at him seriously. "I'm the reason Nick and Sara are being targeted. It's all my fault, and…" I trailed off, my throat becoming too tight to speak. "I just want everything to be okay. And I don't know how to make it like that."

"I love you," Greg promised, pressing our foreheads together. "So, so much. And you and this baby…you're gonna be okay. So will Nick. We're gonna outsmart this guy."

He bent down and kissed my stomach, causing me to blush. "You'd…you'd take care of the baby, if something happened to me, right?"

"That's a really dumb question," he breathed, running his hands down my sides slowly. "Of course I would."

"Good," I said, smiling quietly to myself as he dipped down and covered my lips with his. I responded enthusiastically, feeling like I had been deprived of him ever since the car wreck. I inhaled his scent, adrenaline coursing through my veins with such intensity that I had never felt before. I ran my hands through his hair, flipping over and landing on top of him. He pulled away momentarily, quirking an eyebrow. "What?"

"Who are Nate and Kyle?" he asked breathlessly, and I closed my eyes, collapsing on his chest in defeat. "And Emerie?"

"Nate and Kyle are twin brothers, both who coincidentally work for the same crime lab. Emerie's my best friend," I explained, feeling so secure and at peace with him in that moment.

"Did you date one of them?" he asked me quietly, and I shook my head. "It just seemed like you guys were super close or something, and-"

"Kyle's married," I interrupted, smirking. "And Nathan's always had a thing for Emerie."

"Your past is like a twisted puzzle," he informed me, stroking my hair. "I feel like every day I learn a new piece, you know? Whereas my past is pretty straightforward and less complicated."

"Kyle and Nate's lives are kind of like mine," I said, glancing up and meeting his eyes. "Their dad was abusive. But only towards their mom, since she managed to protect them. But…those kind of memories stain your ideals of a good marriage, believe me." I paused, thinking. "Kyle's got a son, Drew. He's a good dad, even with a screwed up past."

"I don't have a screwed up past and I'll still be shitty dad," Greg said under his breath, and my head snapped up.

"No," I said firmly, reaching up and kissing his cheek. "You will be a damned good father, Greg. One of the best dad's _ever_."

"You think so?" he laughed, and I nodded enthusiastically. "You know how to make me feel better, Lex."

"Just emotionally?" I asked suggestively, and he didn't answer as I shut out the space between us, kissing him as passionately as I could in that moment. I slipped my hands underneath him, and he raked his hands through my hair intensely. He moved a hand to my stomach, gently dancing his fingers across it.

The knocking kind of killed it.

I pulled away, closing my eyes and groaning in frustration. I rolled off of him, and he quickly straightened out his hair. I pulled on a shirt other than the tank top I was wearing, and headed for the door. I opened it, only to see Russell standing there with Finn.

"Are we interrupting something?" Finn asked, sounding irritated. She checked her watch. "It's midnight, you're still on call, you know."

"Yeah, we know," Greg grumbled, coming up behind me with long pajama pants and a t-shirt on. "What's up?"

"Skyler Glines called," Russell recalled, pursing his lips. "They've received a separate letter, and the live feed has majorly increased."

"We've got a hint?"

"We've been _sent _a hint," Finn corrected. "Someone clearly wants to be found."

"Then we'll find him," I said through gritted teeth. "If he wants to play games, we'll play."

…

"I have to admit that you're slacking," Jackson Murry said, sounding agitated. "I really did expect more of an effort. 4 days left, remember?" He laughed aloud, clutching his stomach. "I am so damn funny sometimes. Did you get your present?"

He laughed even harder, gasping for air. "Oh God, that was even funnier. Oh well. Anyways, if you've been watching the live feed, which I known that AV lab technician of the Phoenix Crime Lab Grave Shift, Mr. Skyler Glines, has." All eyes fell to the nervous nerd, who was watching in fear. "Ah, yes, I do know your names, Mr. Glines."

More silence. "Well, moving on. I just wanted to list my terms for the release of Mr. Stokes," he said, rubbing his chin methodically. "Of course, you must find out our location. You won't. But if you do, I need Sidle and Smith both, or you can kiss Nicky goodbye. Isn't that right, Pancho?"

Nick groaned in the background, shaking his head. "Shut up…bastard," Nick said dryly, and Jackson stepped away from the camera, as if to make our view of Nick clearer. "Lex, Sara…don't. Please. Just tell your kid about Uncle Nick, Lexi."

His struggling body was covered quickly by Murry, who was wiping away a mock tear. "Aww, of course. Tell the little baby all about Uncle Nick," he said, and grinned. "I do feel bad for the baby though, don't you? Being born into such hell, with his mother dying and whatnot. Will the baby even live?" He let the question hang in the air, and I couldn't help but allow a tear slip down my face at what happened next.

"Shut up!" Nick roared from the corner, pointing accusingly at Murry. "Don't speak to my friends like that, you stupid son of a-"

"Now, now, Mr. Stokes," he replied coldly, and smiled wickedly at the camera. He pressed a button on some remote, and Nick jerked wildly. I covered my mouth in disbelief as volts of electricity coursed through my friends body. No, no. This was never supposed to happen to him. "We mustn't speak unless spoken to, correct?"

Nick didn't reply, but laid limply, apparently unconscious. "So yes, Smith and Sidle, and I'm just confirming this."

He froze, and a creepy smile fell onto his face. "And if anyone tries to stand in the way of that, you'll have hell to pay. Revenge, if you know what I mean. If you don't, rewatch this video."

And with that, he let out a maniacal laugh, and the video ended. Everyone stood in a mutual stunned silence. I coughed to fight away tears, and Russell stormed out of the room in a rare moment of fury, Finn following him. I waited until Sara followed suit, as I had assumed she would, and broke down into tears, falling into Greg's chest.

"He's not going near you," Greg whispered soothingly, and I shook my head. I knew he'd find me. I had just screwed with the wrong gang, regardless of whether I should have shot that guy or not 5 years ago. "Stop it."

"I just want Nick home," I whispered, my sobs fading slightly. "I just want this all to end."

"I do too," Greg agreed, and kissed the top of my head. "We're gonna find him, thanks to Skyler here. He's gonna get a location, it just might not be today. Or tomorrow. But he'll do his part. And he'll find him."

"I'm really trying here," Skyler assured me, giving me a weak smile. I smile back sadly in sympathy for the lab rat, and he sighed, returning to his screen. "You don't remember me, do you?"

I paused before shaking my head. He nodded understandingly before glancing back at us. "I'm sorry," I tried, and he shrugged.

"I was fresh out of college and was just interning when you left," he told me, still typing away wildly at something. "You kind of scared me."

I laughed softly, remembering it slightly now. "Look, Drew! Look who's here!"

The cheerful voice was familiar, and I turned around to see Kristen Garrett walking towards me, Drew in her arms. I hadn't seen him since he was 2 years old, and it frightened me how much he had grown. I was surprised when he cried, "Aunt Lexi!" and ran wildly towards me. I scooped him up carefully, hugging the young boy as tight as I could. "Missed you!"

"It's been a very long time," I said in agreeance, clutching him with a loose grip now. "You got so big, sweetie!"

"7!" he said proudly, holding up 6 fingers. "That's how old I am."

"Wow!" I exclaimed, and set him down, his left hand practically glued to mine. "Drew, this is Greg. He's my boyfriend."

"Pleased to meet you," Drew said automatically, the words slipping off his tongue with ease as he extended a hand to Greg. Greg shook it, wearing a crooked smile. "You're one lucky guy, dude."

"Am I?" Greg laughed, and for a moment, everything I had been crying about just disappeared. Until 4 words turned the entire situation upside down in a heartbeat.

"I got a location!" Skyler cried suddenly, pointing to the screen wildly. "Here we go, 1224 Marymella Lane. It's desert-cabin, they're really popular for tourists."

And then it struck me.

1224 was my address when I lived on Fig Street, back when I started working Phoenix.

He knew about me.

And quite frankly, he had put together the puzzle faster than I had.

**A/N: HELLO, WONDERFUL REVIEWERS AND READERS!**

**I thought I would drop things off there because next chapter is super emotional and insane, and…just cray cray. Yeah, nuts. Anywayyyss, I thought I would ask for some help!(I know, first I ask for reviews, then help. You have one selfish writer, here, my friends.) **

**My aunt found this puppy running along the side of the road and scooped her up, brought her home, only because she had almost gotten hit twice. On Thanksgiving. Miracle, maybe? We went and asked all the neighbors, and she didn't belong to anyone. So we reported her found through Animal Control, but nothing has gotten reported. She is a Chihuahua for sure, but we think she's like a Toy Chihuahua because she only weighs one and a half pounds! :O She's sleeping on my bed now, ignoring my typing. **

**All I am asking is that you please give me name suggestions!:) She's super cute and I hope her dumb owners never claim her because they haven't reported anything yet and must not miss her! **

**Thank you for reaching the review goal! Yes! Oh my gosh I was so happy when that very nice Guest reviewer dropped me the last one! Thank you so much! I love you, and that made my day! I love all of you actually. And I hope you all survived food coma.**

**So leave me, in your review, possible name suggestions, and maybe something about how your Thanksgiving was, and I'm curious…who went Black Friday Shopping? I didn't. I'm scared, quite frankly. If you don't want to ruin talking about this chapter, I love to PM you lovely people!:) HINT MOTHERFUCKING HINT I AM A LONELY HERMIT no just kidding but still…**

**REVIEW GOAL: 30. Reach it. Please. I will cry and jump up and down. I swear.**

**REVIEWWWWWWWW REVIEWWWWW REVIEWWW!**

**Much love! **


	8. The Beginning Ends

**A/N: don't own CSI…**

"Drew, honey, stay back," Kristen whispered, picking up her young son and holding him in her arms. "We might have to come back in a little while to see daddy, honey."

"Location?" Nathan asked, appearing from a room with Emerie behind him. Her lipstick was slightly smeared and hair lightly messed up. I fought back a smirk, knowing we were currently in what seemed to be an extremely grave and serious situation, and that laughing would be inappropriate. "Did I hear you say we got a place to kick some ass?"

Skyler nodded, letting out a chuckle at Nate. "Yeah, bro. 1224 Marymella Street. I don't know, it just clicked on out of the blue."

"We got a location!" Emerie shouted down the hall, and the sound of footsteps padding down the tile echoed through the momentarily silent building. "Oh God, we're coming, Stokes."

"Check the live feed," Russell ordered as he entered the room. Skyler responded by typing wildly and pulling up the feed. And sitting there, in the room, was Jackson Murry, talking to Nick. My heart broke- into a million pieces- just at the sight and the words he was whispering.

"Oh Nicky," he cooed, and Nick stared at the ground contentedly. "You have been an excellent piece of my game, do you know that? I really could not have asked for better. I'm so glad I picked you. How well do you know Lexi?"

"Shut up," Nick grunted in response, and Jackson laughed aloud. "They're going to find me."

"Maybe," he considered, shrugging. "Either way, someone's dying. And eventually, it will be Lexi. And that baby of hers. Are you the father?"

I watched as Greg's hands formed into fists, and I wrapped my own hands around them soothingly, leaning my head against his shoulders.

Nick visibly tensed. "No."

"Then who is?" Murry taunted.

"Like I'd tell you," Nick hissed, and Murry shook his head. He pressed a button, and Nick jerked around again. "Fine! Fine!"

Everyone held their breaths as we watched Nick. "Go on, Mr. Stokes."

"Tanner Durfee," he said tensely, and I breathed a sigh of relief, as did Greg. He wouldn't give anything away, and certainly wouldn't get his best friend into trouble that really wasn't his fault. "Surely you know that they dated."

"Of course," Murry said, nodding. "He's in prison now, correct?"

"Yeah," Nick confirmed. "Lex is going to be a single mom."

"No," he said sickly, shaking his head. "She'll be a dead mom."

"Why all this trouble with her?" Nick cried, clenching his eyes shut. "Why go to all of this to kill her? She killed your buddy? What's that matter?"

"Bleed in, bleed out," he said simply. "Karma's a bitch."

"Shut up," Nick grunted weakly. "You just…leave her alone. Please."

"You know, Stokes," Murry said, examining the button he had just pressed a minute ago. "I am one of the most successful Las Vegas gangsters. It's a genetic history, dear friend. And quite frankly, I do love the family business. This dates back further than her killing that friend of mine."

"Her father really should have stayed away from Adrianna," he tutted, and I narrowed my eyes at the screen. "He had a child with my aunt, you know. Casey. He stole from my father," he said through gritted teeth. "The 400,000 dollars he robbed us of was what was supposed to seal the contract to pass ownership of The Mariana, which was one of the biggest casinos at the time, Nicky. Instead, the deal went to some bastard who was, quite frankly, ruining the casino business. What, with his Italian culture that seemed to make every woman swoon."

He sounded disgusted, rolling his eyes. "I hated that son of a bitch. And lucky for me, he's dead."

My eyes went wide in realization, and Jackson stood up, leaving the room. I turned to the gang as Skyler minimized the video feed. "The Santoni's."

"What?"

"Mr. Santoni," I explained, nodding quickly. "Remember him? His house had a bomb planted in it, he died. He was our neighbor."

"And?"

"His father was the Italian!" I cried, and Greg nodded quickly as well. "Richard Santoni! He was the one who decided to close that huge hotel and casino, remember? It happened when I was a junior in high school, it was a huge deal!"

"You're right," Greg credited, nodding. "It was a very big deal. He closed it for an unknown reason, and it's now New York New York."

"Skyler," I said, addressing the lab rat sharply. "Google Richard Santoni and the Mariana, please."

"I'm on it," he returned, quickly typing something in. As we waited, Russell looked around at all of us.

"We're gonna get him back, guys," he promised, and I heard more footsteps. "And we're gonna end all of this."

"I heard we got a location?" Kyle asked breathlessly, Gwen behind him.

"Daddy!" Drew cried suddenly, wiggling his way out of Kristen's arms, and running into Kyle's. "Missed you!"

"Missed you too, buddy," Kyle said with a grin, ruffling his sons hair. "What are you and mommy doing here, kiddo?"

"We didn't know you were so busy," Kristen apologized uncomfortably. "Sorry, baby."

"No, it's fine," he said, and kissed Drew's forehead. "I kind of missed you guys right now."

"Not the time, Garrett," Gwen barked, and Nate scoffed for his brother.

"Dear God, Gwen, lay off. We're in the middle of a fucking depressing case like this and you tell him he can't see his family?" he snapped, crossing his arms. I saw Emerie grin and follow suit, and Gwen rolled her eyes before she stormed out of the room. "Some people just do this job for too long."

Kyle snorted, and Drew jumped out of his arms and into Nathan's, hugging him tightly. "Uncle Nate!" he squealed, especially when Nathan tickled him. I smiled fondly at some of my favorite people that I had decided to leave behind in the end.

"Guys," Skyler said worriedly, and we all looked over to his screen. The live video feed was back up, and there was Jackson Murry, grinning like the insane sicko he was.

"Come here," Kristen said, snatching Drew from Nathan and carrying him away, back into the lobby.

"How far have we progressed now, dear friends?" he asked sweetly, and I felt my stomach lurch. "I do want to remind you once again, that you have 4 days remaining."

"If you cannot find me in 4 days, for whatever reason, I will just kill Nick. And then Lexi, and her baby. It would be a shame, really, to kill 3 people." He paused, and smiled, his eyes piercing into mine, though I knew he couldn't actually see me. "And I have more plans than just death, I promise. I have always thought you looked wonderful, no matter what you wear. Especially short dresses, they really make your body seem more fulfilled." He laughed again, shrugging. "I guess I'll have my way with you and Sidle. Boy, this game will be fun."

"Rape isn't about sex, it's about violence," he quoted, looking into the air methodically. "I don't think your CSI's could have said it better. Because that's what it _is _about. And also what it _will _be about, Alexandra."

The silence around us was fulfilling, and I watched as Sara glared at the screen. "Oh, I simply cannot _wait!" _he said happily, clapping his hands together. "I really do look forward to the time we'll share together, Alexandra." He froze, his happy expression fading into a satisfied one. "…Or shall I call you Alex? Remember that nickname?"

My heart skipped a beat, and he laughed hysterically. "I do my research well. And I hope to see you soon. Goodbye, and good luck. May the games continue!"

The screen went black.

…

Left alone momentarily to cope with what I had seen, I found myself sitting in the Denali and feeling hopeless. Greg had left me there because he seemed to know I need a minute alone. We were parked a half a mile away from 1224 Marymella Avenue, which was actually a large mansion.

I wasn't crying, for once. I was angry. I was furious that we had allowed Nick to be placed under such a dangerous situation, and I was furious that Murry had said such things about me. And my baby.

I flung the door open, already gripping my gun in my holster. "You alright?" Greg questioned nervously, and I nodded. "Come on then, they're already kicking the door down."

We both hurried to join Captain Amarello and his uniforms, all of whom were clearing the scene and looking for Nick. There was a strangled yelp about 5 minutes into it, and we froze from where we stood in the entrance of the home. Ryan, who was physically inside the house's living room, didn't dare move. Morgan and Sara, both of them standing directly next to me, stopped breathing and moving altogether.

"I'm warning you all now," a calm and recognizable voice said. "Don't move a muscle. Or Stokes is dead."

And no one moved.

I watched, hand still on gun as it had been before he spoke, as Jackson Murry strutted down the staircase, a gun pressed into the side of Nick's head. I couldn't breathe, or even speak.

"You work fast," he commented, sounding impressed. "But did you really think that in the end, you would win? That you could defeat me?"

"What are you, the joker?" Ryan asked bluntly, and Murry laughed.

"No, Mr. Houghton," he replied quietly, forcing Nick to sit down on one of the stairs. "I am a genius. And I don't work alone, as you seemed to be under the impression that I did."

"I work with some of the smartest and most powerful men and women in the world," he said quietly, and whistled. All of the men in uniforms, as well as Russell and Finn, walked backwards out of a room. The same was for the cops and Amarello as they backtracked from the opposite side of the house. I gulped, knowing this was how it was going to end. He was either going to take out everyone, or we were going to get some freak of nature luck grant.

There was a woman pointing her gun at Amarello and his men, and a tall man pointing his at Russell and Finn with their uniforms. "Oh, Alex," he said quietly, tilting his head to the side. "The game has just begun."

"I manage the gang and their financials. I do not, however, participate in their acts of random kills and recreational drug use," he said, his gun still pointed at Nick. "I make the dough. And they bake it."

"That acronym really sucked," Morgan said under her breath, and Jackson glared at her.

"Sidle and Smith both, now." He ordered, seeming set off by Morgan's comment. "Everyone else, get the hell out. You two, drop your weapons and come here."

I did as I was told, setting my gun and walking towards him. "Lex," Greg whispered. I turned around, meeting his pained eyes. I couldn't take it. My heart shattered on the spot, and I let a tear fall down my face. "I love you."

"I love you too." I whispered, wanting to fall apart on the spot. Sara wrapped an arm around my shoulder and led me to Murry, who was narrowing his eyes at us.

"You lied," he said suddenly, turning to Nick. "That's the father of the baby!"

He pointed to Greg, who couldn't look anywhere else but at me. I willed him to stop, as he was just making guilt fill me even more. "I'm not, I swear," Nick assured him. Murry rolled his eyes and motioned for Nick to stand up. He did, and Murry pointed the gun directly at the back of his head.

"This game isn't over!" he shouted loudly, his smile twitching slightly. "This is what happens, you stupid bastards, when you cross me. I told you to follow instructions and have Alexandra here and Sara find him, but you didn't. I was quite forgiving!" he screamed, and shook his head. "This is not the correct order at all. Not at all. But this will do." He laughed, and pulled back the safety on the pistol. "Say goodbye, Nicky."

"I'm so sorry," Nick whispered, and there was a loud gunshot, followed by another gunshot. The shots continued, and Sara drug me down to the ground with her as bullets flew past us wildly.

The scream I heard next was so familiar, and so heart-wrenching. The shooting stopped suddenly, and I looked up to where Nick was on the ground with us, his eyes still open. And breathing. And he was moving.

And next to the staircase, was none other than Gwen Wright, the bitchy supervisor. But I knew she hadn't been the source of the scream. I looked around quickly, and if my heart hadn't been shattered already, it was now.

Emerie was gripping her chest, gasping for air. Time slowed as one last shot rang through the room, and I felt myself let out a scream. Emerie fell backwards, eyes floating towards the back of her head. I shook my head in shock, fighting to free myself from Nick and Sara's grip. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, and I ripped myself away from them, running toward her fallen body.

"Em," I breathed, applying pressure to her wound immediately. Her eyes were wide and empty, full of nothing but space and the sea green they had been. "Come on, Em, fight."

She did nothing but choke and splutter, and I shook my head, pulling off my jacket and pressing it to her wound as quickly as I could, but I knew it was too late. "Lex," she wheezed, her eyes meeting mine for a minute. "Take care…of Trace. And Nate."

I was confused by her words, but shook my head, tears dripping down my face all at the same time. "You're gonna be okay," I said, nodding now in reassurance. "I'm sure someone has called the ambulance. Hang on. Please."

"Can't." she said, shaking her head. And with that, her eyes fell completely empty, staring up at me blankly. The liveliness that had been there departed, and I fell apart on the spot, gripping her shoulders and screaming incoherent things to her. I had finally been reunited with my best friend, and here she was being ripped away from me in such a cruel way.

"No," I sobbed, shaking my head, knowing her blood was now covering me. "No. No. Em…"

"Lexi," a voice whispered in my ear, and I recognized it as Russell's. "Come on, kid. She's gone."

I wanted to fight to stay with her, but I knew that wouldn't bring her back. She wouldn't come back to life, and she would never call me up again on my birthday to remind me I was aging. She would never meet my baby, and she would never see me when I wasn't worried about a case. And we would never have dinner after this case was finished, like I had promised.

"It's not fair," I choked out, and Russell nodded understandingly. My vision was blocked by my tears rolling down my face, but I could see the shock on his face. I let him lead me out without touching me, because I was now a piece of evidence. I didn't look back, and I never wanted to see anything in that room ever again.

I stumbled slightly, and heard someone yell my name. I knew it was Greg, but I couldn't look at him. The feeling of loss that had consumed me led me to someone's suburban, and I closed my eyes. "We're gonna need your clothes," a voice said quietly, and I looked up to see Skyler Glines, looking solemn and depressed. "Please."

I nodded, stripping off my button up shirt and not really caring that I was just wearing a tank top underneath. "Can't she wait until we get back to the crime lab?" Ryan's voice snapped, and I didn't bother looking up.

"I have strict orders to get them ASAP," Skyler said just as quietly, and I nodded. "Here."

He handed me a separate shirt as I stripped off my tank top, leaving me in my bra. I let my eyes fall to my baby bump, and something inside reminded me that there would be a time when I moved on from this ordeal. I slipped my jeans off, quickly putting on the sweats Skyler gave me. I kicked off my Vans, letting him get those, and put on the slippers.

I looked up now, facing the world for what felt like the first time. And it hurt. So, so badly.

"Lexi," a voice said, cracking. I knew it wasn't Ryan's, and I let my line of vision fall to Greg, who was keeping his distance and watching me carefully. "I am so sorry."

I let my crying continue, and he wrapped me up in his arms in a heartbeat, picking me up and carefully bringing me away from the scene, appearing rushed. I sobbed into his shoulder, the sadness reappearing inside me. "Gone," I cried, shaking my head in denial. "Greg, she's gone!"

"So sorry," he mumbled sincerely, setting me down on the grass of the lawn and cradling me gently, as if he felt I would break. At the time I couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't, because that's exactly what I felt like doing. "I am so sorry, sweetie."

I didn't reply, I just cried into his shoulder and let my emotions run wild. "Is he gone?" I asked hoarsely after a while.

"Yes," Greg promised, kissing the top of my head. "He's gone. Dead as a doornail."

"Good," I said, trying to make my tears stop. "That is very, very good."

Greg let out a hearty laugh, and kissed my cheek now. I blushed, falling into him and just relaxing with one deep breath. "We're all okay now," he said finally. "It's all over."

"This," I said, taking a ragged breath. "Is a shitty ending."

"I know," he said sadly, frowning. "It really is, honey."

"What happened?" I asked, not knowing if I really wanted the answer or not. "Who…who died?"

"Emerie shot him," he explained quietly. "But he saw her first. It was as if they both fired at the same time, because they both hit the ground simentaneously. Then their people shot at Gwen, since she was the one who got him in the back of the head." He paused, looking away. "She didn't make it either."

"Who's Trace?" I questioned, and Greg shrugged.

"I don't know," he admitted, and squeezed me for a minute. "To be honest, I have just been so relived you're here for the past 30 minutes that I haven't asked anyone a thing."

"I love you," I sniffled, and he grinned. "I really, really do."

"I love you too," he returned, his lips grazing my jaw line. "Everything's okay."

And for one moment in my life, I didn't know whether to believe Greg or not.

…

Silence is stubborn.

I sat across from Nate, who was covering his head in his hands and not looking up. He hadn't looked up from the minute he sat down, and he was yet to reply to what I had said. I knew there had been a heavy weight tossed onto his shoulders at the last minute, and I felt bad about it, but I wanted answers.

"How come you didn't tell me?" I had just asked a few minutes prior, and received nothing.

I was referring to the young boy standing with Kristen and Drew. He was younger than Drew, and looked to be about 3. He had Emerie's green eyes, and the rest of him was just like Nate. He was full of energy and life, but for the time being, he had settled with extreme solitude and silence.

"Emerie didn't want to worry you," he finally answered, looking up. His eyes were red and puffy, his hair a crazy mess. "And you had left. She was upset enough about that, she didn't really want to speak to you. I wanted to tell the whole world, but she didn't. Difference in opinions, I guess."

I nodded, staring at the ground now. "He's wonderful," I noted, and Nathan choked on a sob, nodding.

"His sisters at home," he cried, shaking his head. "We're such screw ups. As if one unplanned pregnancy wasn't enough, Em got pregnant again half a year after he was born."

"There's two?" I asked in surprise, wondering why Emerie had only told me to take care of one.

"Keira," he replied, nodding. "Our daughter. She's one." He let out yet another sob. "God, she loved Em so much. And Em loved her, and- and…"

He trailed off in tears, shaking his head in denial. I wrapped an arm around him supportively, rubbing his shoulder. "Everything's going to be okay."

But I didn't know. He was now a single dad, left to fight for everything on his own. "Em didn't want a funeral, at all," he reminded me, and I nodded. I remembered when we went out to breakfast one morning, how she told me funerals were overrated and a waste of tears. She would much rather have people spread her ashes into the mountains of Colorado, where she grew up, and have her buried in the cemetery on Cypress Avenue. Why she wanted such specific things was beyond me. But I went with it. "I miss her so much."

"I do too," I admitted, nodding. "Life is fucked up."

"Yes," he agreed, and leaned his head on my shoulder slowly. "You were her best friend," he informed me, pursing his lips. "She always told Trace about how he was gonna meet his Aunt Lexi one day." He laughed, looking back at his son. "We're your family here, Lexi."

I knew what he was trying to do. He wanted to get me back in Phoenix, and I knew it.

"Vegas is my new family," I said slowly. "My boyfriend is there, and that's where my baby will be raised, Nate. I love you, and every other fantastic person here. But Vegas is home."

"I'm sorry you had to come here on such terms," he apologized, and I enveloped one of my best friends in a hug.

"I am too," I whispered as he cried again. "I really am too."

…

I sat down at the table on a Sunday night, holding a chocolate milkshake and a vanilla one in each of my hands. The breeze of the September weather swept across me, whipping my hair back gently.

"And here we are," I said, speaking to no one there. The table in the milkshake joint was the only one occupied on the outside patio, just how I wanted it. "You and I."

"Remember that time you told me that there was circle of life? And how we would be born, and how we would die. And what we did between that amount of time made us human."

"Or remember when I shot that guy down in my first week, and you took me here. You told me to calm down, and that I was going to make a damned good CSI. Remember that?" I asked aloud, cursing the world in that moment. "No? Well dammit, I do. Why did you have to leave, Em? I would be nothing without you! You were the one who trained me until I was a CSI Level 3. Not anyone else."

"Your son is beautiful. So full of life and living every day to the fullest," I sighed, sipping from my vanilla milkshake as tears filled my eyes. "I just want my kid to be like that. Because if something ever happens to me like it happened to you, I just want them to be able to move on. I know Trace will, and Nate will eventually. And your daughter, even if she's just a baby, is gorgeous too."

"I'm gonna miss you so much," I said, tears streaming down my face. I took one last sip of my milkshake before setting the empty glass down. "So, so much."

"Goodbye," I whispered into the air, leaving my glass empty and her glass full as I walked into the parking lot, because I knew that's how Emerie always lived life.

With the glass completely full.

**A/N: Thank you so much for reaching the review goal! My internet is somewhat limited, so I've been reluctant on updating. But I very much want some delicious reviews!**

**Let me know how you liked Emerie's somewhat short-lived character, but everything happens for a reason, you guys. Don't worry, I didn't save Nick only to shine he spotlight on Lexi's emotional distress. I enjoyed writing this last scene, let me know if you liked it!**

**Because the new review goal? 37 reviews. Yeah, we're making a big jump. But you can do it! **

**REVIEWWWWW!**


	9. What Begins Well Must End Well

**A/N: Don't own CSI. **

"_Congrats, kid," Emerie commented from the doorway of the break room. I was conversing happily with Kyle and Kristen, who at the time was just his girlfriend. "You're a CSI."_

_I stopped smiling at her level of clear intimidation. "Thanks," I said, looking away from her. "You did train me, after all."_

"_Which is why you'll be a damned good CSI," she promised, grinning. "I'm proud of you, Lexi."_

_And she hugged me. Kyle and Kristen were silent, because like me, they knew that it was extremely rare for Emerie to go around hugging people. I pulled away, and like that, a bullet sunk through her chest._

_I screamed, and the events that had taken place in the mansion were repeating. I fought my way out of Kyle and Kristen's grip, and bent over Emerie. The feeling was returning as her empty green eyes stared off, empty and lifeless. _

"_Way to go, Smith," her voice hissed, wrapping around my dream. "You got me killed, all because you had a shitty father."_

"_I'm so sorry," I sobbed over her body, the green eyes still piercing my look at her. "So, so, sorry."_

"_You did this!" her voice shrieked. "Wake up, Lexi."_

"_I didn't mean to," I cried, brushing away her brunette hair so it wasn't in her the face of her body. "So sorry, Emerie, so sorry-"_

"Lexi!"

I jerked awake, my eyes snapping open. Greg was leaning over me and studying my face worriedly. "What happened?"

"You were yelling that you were sorry," he whispered, lying back down and relaxing. I looked over at my clock and realized that I had only been in bed for the past hour. "Are you okay?"

"Don't know," I breathed, and he wrapped me up in his arms, and I felt myself falling apart. My tears flooded down my cheeks, and I felt that for that moment, I couldn't breathe. The cloud of guilt that had been consuming me for the past few days was still eating me alive- from the inside out. Because I wanted so badly for my phone to ring, and to pick it up, and hear Emerie's voice on the other end. And she would say, "When the fuck are you coming to visit me you selfish bitch?" and I would reply with, "Maybe never, if you keep that attitude, young lady." And then she would say, "God, I hate you so much!" and hang up. Then she'd call me back, and we'd both erupt in giggle and juvenile acts that I found wonderful and unforgettable. Just like she was.

I let the tears run freely, thinking back to how my last 3 days in Phoenix had been. Emerie had never wanted a funeral, like Nate confessed. I knew that, and respected it. Nate handed me a small amount of the ashes and instructed me to spread wherever and whenever I liked. This was overwhelming and confused me all at the same time, so I just said okay and took them. But I didn't know what I would do with them, and if I was able to pull myself together at all, _when _I would spread them. I knew I planned to let them drift unto the wind, just like Emerie seemed to, and the memory of empty green eyes came back, haunting me. I felt incredibly guilty, and Greg had left me in the hotel room for the past 3 days so I could "clear me head". But it was now day 5, and I was where I had been from the minute it happened. I actually wished I could live in the moment where innocent Skyler took my clothes, because I had been so numb I wasn't able to process anything.

I hadn't spoken to Nick, which I also felt guilty about. It all came back to me, and I hadn't even been able to force out an apology, because every time I thought about him, my mind went to Phoenix, which drifted to Emerie. And I cried.

I cried because of the glorious passion that was secrets and lies. A day would never come where secrets and lies were inexistent, and for the moment, they were revealed. In that shining moment where I saw Trace and later Kiera, secrets seemed glorified, because who knew something so beautiful and amazing could come of that. They were amazing kids, and I pained me to know that she had chosen to pretend like life was completely normal back in Phoenix. She had even failed to tell me when Runnells left, and I ultimately figured that one out when I saw him months ago as the Supervisor for Denver Crime Lab.

I felt like dying.

"Shh," Greg shushed in my ear, stroking my hair. "You're…you're okay, baby."

"No," I sobbed, shaking my head and relaxing. "I'm not."

"Time is the only way to heal," he promised, and I nodded in agreeance. It was taking time, and I just wanted to be able to sleep without bursting into tears. I wanted to drink a cup of coffee without shaking hands, and I wanted to speak to Russell and everyone else without falling onto the ground and crying. I wanted that so badly, but guilt had sincerely swallowed me whole.

And I couldn't crawl out. I was stuck in a tunnel that held no light at the end. It was like I was walking into and through darkness, the only possible light being the roaring fire that was burning my throat at the soreness from tears. And I swallowed the fire whole, a light now erupting from my stomach where my baby was, and I remembered that I was carrying a child. That I had to be tough because stress was incredibly unhealthy for a fetus and I'm sure that it wasn't receiving enough hydration with the water that seeped from my eyes.

I thought back to Kyle and Nate and how they were even upset when Gwen Wright gave her life for people she didn't know. And that ached. Everything ached, and everything was shaking uncontrollably inside my moral compass. It was out of control, and for a while, I wanted to let go of the wheel that was myself. I wanted to slip away and fade into the darkness, never to be seen again.

And as depressing as that was, it sounded damn appealing.

…

I sat on the ground, now staring at the shoeboxes. I had vowed to go through them after Greg and I left San Gabriel last year. I had snatched them from my childhood home after my mother passed away, and found them along with the gifts for my 17th birthday.

I carefully opened the lid, grateful Greg was currently back at work, this being the first night he'd left me at home alone. He seemed worried to, like he was the only thing between my emotional wreckage and stability. I ignored the thoughts as I watched the pictures in front of me.

I was 6. Grinning from ear to ear, and being a petite little girl, I stood next to Marigold and Austin Fox, all of us in our swimsuits next to Austin's pool. I had forgotten that there was a period of time when we were all friends and there was no existence of underlying hatred and future relentless bullying. I set the photo aside, and the next one made my breath catch slightly.

My father was standing next to us, and arm wrapped around my mother waist and a hand resting firmly on my shoulder. I was 12, and smiled quietly. I could sense the irritation I had been currently radiating, and set the picture aside.

I proceeded to shuffle through them, most of them being pictures of me when I was a freshman in high school, usually in front of my pictures. I was motioning to them like they were a trophy, and I couldn't have been prouder. That was thoroughly true, because I couldn't have been.

I continued on, before reaching the picture at the bottom of the box. It was me the day before I shot dad, and I was standing with Casey and Dad. He was grinning at the camera, an arm slung around beautiful Casey's shoulder. I cursed the photo, ripping in half. That bastard, along with Casey's existence, were the reason Emerie was dead. If he hadn't screwed around and got her mom knocked up, and if he hadn't stolen all the money, none of the would have happened.

I took a steady breath before standing up and walking into the kitchen. I opened the door, and realizing how much I was craving gumdrops, shut the door in dissatisfaction. I groaned and snatched my cell phone up before curling up on the couch in the living room. I contemplated calling Greg and begging him to be the best boyfriend ever and buy me gumdrops, but I knew he had a lot of paperwork and things to catch up on that night. And besides, who sold gumdrops at the three in the morning?

I dialed the only number I could think would really come to my assistance without triggering a mass pool of emotions. "Hi, you've reached David Hodges. Leave a message and I'll get back to you."

I pressed the end button in frustration before stomping up the stairs in determination to eye our laundry room, to which Greg thought could suffice for a nursery. I knew he didn't want to move out of this glorious house, but we needed to. We both made plenty enough money to go off of, and then the idea struck me. I dived into our room, and reached to the top of our closet, where I kept the things from my mothers house. I pulled out the envelope that, at the time, held the will and the check.

And I stared at the large check for half a million dollars that had nothing to do with inheritance at all. Because I knew she did that to avoid my inheritance tax, yet there was still 2 million waiting for me there as well. I didn't want to touch it or go anywhere near her money she gave me in her wave of doubt that I was doing well on my own.

I stared at the check, and I knew this would cover more than enough for a new house. I prepared to show it to Greg, and stuffed it back into the envelope.

My phone rang, and I immediately answered it. "Smith."

I realized how hoarse my voice sounded, and I began to descend down the staircase of our house, leaping back onto the couch and wrapping myself in the blanket.

"Lexi," Hodges breathed, and I smiled. "I'm so glad you picked up. I thought something happened."

"Are you busy?" I asked, staring out the window at the dark and gloomy night.

"No," he answered unsurely, and I beamed with happiness. "Tonight is my night off, actually."

"Fantastic!" I exclaimed, clapping my hands together. "You feel like bringing me some gumdrops and watching movies?"

"Are…are you asking me on a date?" he asked in disbelief, and for the first time in what seemed like a year, I laughed.

"No. I'm asking you to accompany me tonight. Because I am thoroughly bored."

"Oh," he said, sounding deflated. "Yeah, okay. I'll be there in a few minutes then, I guess."

"Don't forget the gumdrops!" I said with a grin. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, I suppose," he said unsurely, and the line went dead. I laid down on the clean carpet of our living room, and touched the growing bump.

"You are going to be so cute," I laughed to myself. "Dearest Aiden. Or Katie. Or whatever we name you. As long as we get to keep you and hold you and call you ours."

And I knew that it was impossible, but I thought I felt a flutter in my stomach. Being 13 weeks along, I really shouldn't have had that for another 3 weeks. But whether it was real or I imagined it, I knew my baby had heard me.

….

I popped another gumdrop in my mouth, Hodges and I both seated on my couch in anticipation as the woman opened the closet door. It was the same movie I'd seen with Finn, Morgan, and Sara, so I knew how it ended.

"Some people just don't think," he sighed, and motioned to the screen. "I mean come on. Use your head, lady."

"Agreeably," I croaked, watching with a bored expression as the man dove the knife into her chest. Hodges jumped slightly, but I remained cool as a cucumber. Seeing this movie a million times, as well as seeing far worse crime scenes than this, kind of made me inept to any fears. "Didn't we tell her not to go in there, Hodges?"

"Yes, we did," he agreed, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows at the TV screen. "Why didn't you invite Morgan over? Or Sara? Or anyone else, really, besides me."

"I'm still dealing with myself," I said dryly, feel nervous. I looked around uneasily in avoidance of his judgmental gaze. "What? Am I not allowed to grieve over my best friend?"

"I don't doubt that you're grieving," he assured me, and turned back to the TV. "I came into the lab to get some things and Sanders was telling Finn all about how you were a mess."

I blushed, and he continued. "Which is correct, because the red tint in your eyes would either suggest that you're high or you've been crying."

"Shut up," I mumbled, criss-crossing my legs. "You try being a hormonal pregnant woman and dealing with this shit. This never should have happened. Ever."

"But it did," he sighed, and I nodded. We both sat in silence as the credits rolled, and he looked over at me. "Subject change. What have you been thinking about naming that kid of yours?"

I gave him a dry smile before shrugging. "Aiden or Tyler. Or Katie. I don't really know. But it's middle name will be Easton. That was Emerie's middle name was."

"Easton?"

"Her parents were hippies, give her a break," I snapped, and he shrugged. "Though I suppose it sounds like she was named after a baseball bat."

"I think Easton sounds nice," he told me quietly, and I raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to keep in contact with Nathan Garrett?"

"Yes," I said, the lump returning. "I will."

"And his children?" he asked curiously, and I erupted into tears again, letting my head fall into my pillow softly. I couldn't stop the crying and sobbing, it was all so overwhelming to me. "Oh God, I'm so sorry, Lexi. I didn't mean to-"

The door opened, and I didn't even look up. My tears were blinding my eyes anyways, and the thought of Emerie's son and daughter was purely heart wrenching. "What the hell did you do?" a voice hissed, and I sobbed harder.

"I didn't mean to, we were just talking and she did…this!" Hodges defended, and I felt Greg's arms wrap around my waist, picking me up and cradling me in his arms.

"Hey," he said quietly. "Let's get your back to bed, sweetie."

"A-all my fault!" I cried incoherently. Greg shushed me and kissed my forehead gently. I dug my face into his shirt, humiliated that I had just done what I did. I wanted to toughen up and not be such a crybaby, yet these weren't the best circumstances to stop crying. "S-so stupid o-of me. N-never checked u-up on her e-enough."

"Just go to sleep, baby," Greg pleaded, lying me down our bed. I gripped his tie and pulled him now, forcing him to lie next to me. "Honey, I have to go back to work."

"I just want you to know t-that I'm s-sorry," I said, stumbling over the words. "I've been such a mess lately and I just want to fix everything so I'm tolerable, and crying all the time-"

"Stop," Greg whined, closing his eyes. "Please. You are plenty tolerable, Lex. I love you. Now, I really have to get back to work. I had just came home to get my case file I left here."

I nodded, and held back the crying for a minute. I just wanted him next to me, telling me everything would be okay. And he had to leave. "T-tell Hodges to p-put the movie back, and that I'm s-sorry."

"Sure thing," he said, kissing the top of my head and heading for the door. "I love you."

I nodded, unable to speak as he hurried down the stairs. I heard him say something to Hodges before shutting the front door behind him and leaving. I sobbed freely now, choking on tears and anger. I felt bad that he had to work his ass off because Nick and I weren't there, and then I was trying to get him in more trouble by having him stay home with me.

There was a knock on my bedroom door, which was actually already open. "G-go home and e-enjoy your sleep, H-Hodges," I said shakily, my breaths rapid and making my voice even more incoherent. "God knows you n-need it."

He sat down on the edge of my bed, putting a supportive hand on my shoulder. I rolled over and faced him, but soon grew angry as my bottom lip trembled slightly. "I think if you go back to work you'll be distracted," Hodges said softly, and I broke back into tears, the thought slicing my heart in half. "So it'll take time. You have plenty of that, Lex. And everyone is very supportive of you, you know that right?"

I nodded into the pillow, not meeting his look. "Just think about it," he added, standing up. "I really had a nice time making that lady look stupid tonight, Lex."

I let out a laugh which really sounded odd because of my crying, and he chuckled. "B-bye, Hodges."

"See you, Lexi."

…

I awoke shivering, irritated Greg had flipped the air conditioner on. Too lazy to get out of bed, I reached out for covers and received nothing. Grumpily, I sat up, squinting. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, besides the fact that the covers on my bed were gone. I groaned and laid back down, gripping myself in the coldness of the night. I wondered if I had kicked the covers off of myself or what, but leaned over to touch Greg. When I didn't see him, I checked the time. It was noon, he should have been home.

So I stumbled down the stairs carefully, gripping both my stomach at the railing. I looked around the corner, and felt my heart sink dramatically.

Standing in the kitchen was Greg and his mother, the two sharing a cup of coffee. I hadn't been expecting her, and I turned to head upstairs so I could dress somewhat appropriately.

"Lex!" Greg called, and I turned around, giving a small and embarrassed smile. "Looking for your covers?"

"Yeah," I admitted, and he smirked.

"Try the floor," he instructed, and I nodded before climbing back up the stairs. I felt angry and frustrated, for the sake of having no clue Mrs. Sanders was supposed to show up, and I didn't think she could have picked a worse time.

I threw on one of Greg's T-shirts, along with sweats before heading downstairs to be with them. "Oh and Gregory, you should see your father now. He's really come around to the idea of another baby, sugar," she said happily, and I carefully sat down in the seat next to her, Greg sliding a cup of hot chocolate my way. She clapped her hands together and squealed. "Oh dear, one a pregnant woman would have hot chocolate in September!"

I let out a nervous laugh and shot Greg a look. He simply shrugged and supped his coffee nonchalantly. "Oh, Lexi, Greg said you picked out green," she said, grinning widely at me. "I think it's a fantastic idea. But what do you say about just getting an ultrasound to find out what gender it is?"

I cleared my throat, and Greg smirked into his coffee cup. "I want it to be a surprise," I said quietly, and she gawked at me. "What?"

"Well that doesn't help with planning," she sighed, and seemed to be thinking hard. "How about we just paint the room after the baby's born? Doesn't that sound like a nice idea?"

"Sounds great, ma," Greg agreed, and she waved him away.

"What do you think?" she asked me bluntly, and I smiled.

"I think that's a fantastic idea," I said, giving her a bright grin. "This means I will get to keep the pink and yellow scheme I saw on pintertest."

"Only if it's a girl," Greg interjected, and I rolled my eyes. "What? I want a boy."

"You told me you wouldn't mind a girl though," I whined, and his mother glared at him. "He did."

"Gregory, you'd better be happy either way," she snapped, and he nodded. "That's a good boy. Well, I have to check in, I'll see you two at dinner tonight?"

"Of course," Greg assured her, and I just smiled because I had no clue we were going to dinner. She left out the front door on her own, and I turned to raise my eyebrows at Greg, but he tackled me off the stool.

My back slammed against the floor, and he pinned my arms on either side of me. I laughed, our faces so close I could sit up and kiss him. He chuckled as well at his randomness and kissed me, my small frame stuck underneath him.

"I'm really sorry," he said between running his mouth down my neck and allowing his hands to roam. "That I didn't tell you my mom was coming."

"It's fine," I laughed, and froze. "What?"

"He's growing," Greg noted, and laid his head on my bulging stomach. "Hey there, kiddo."

I chuckled and rubbed my stomach, realizing how big it really had become. "It's going to be beautiful either way," I mumbled. "Huh, sweetie?"

I, of course, received no reaction except from Greg, who kissed my stomach and laid down next to me on the carpet. "Sorry I couldn't stay last night," he apologized, holding my hand carefully. "Just remember that I love you, okay?"

"I will," I promised, and flipped over so I was closer to him. "How was work?"

"Stressful," he answered, shaking his head. "Are you gonna come back soon?"

I swallowed, and he didn't say anything further. "I want to, you know that," I said quietly, and he nodded. "I just don't want to fall apart at work. That would be very, very bad."

"You won't," he promised, our foreheads touching. "You're strong enough."

And I didn't know that answer.

**A/N: So no one reached my review goal. Sadness. **

**BUT THIS IS FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY PRESENT, KATHERYNE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!**

**40 reviews. That's the goal.**

**REVIEWWWW!**


	10. Will Wait

**A/N: Don't own CSI.**

I opened my eyes, listening intently for what I thought I'd heard. Greg rolled over in bed next me, groaning. I watched as he tossed and turned in an irritated way, his lips parting slightly as he let a small sounds escape his mouth. He rolled over again, before his arms flew out wildly, successfully nailing me directly in the mouth. I gripped my now split lip, and watched as he continued to flip and flop. "Greg," I whispered, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "Greg, honey, wake u-"

"No!" he shouted, jerking awake and letting his arms swing backwards, hitting my mouth again. He didn't seem to notice at all, and slowly laid back down, closing his eyes. My heart nearly snapped in two as I watched a single tear slide down his cheek.

"Greg," I repeated, scooting closer to him. He opened his eyes, which were now red and agitated. "Hey, it's okay. You're alright."

"Just a bad dream," he mumbled, not meeting my eyes. "'S no big deal, Lex."

"Yeah, it is," I said softly, wrapping my arms around him the best I could. "Does it help to talk about it?"

"No," he answered, and shook his head, eyes glued to the bed sheets he'd kicked off. "You don't need to worry about it, I promise."

"Yeah I do," I said, stroking his hair and leaning my head against the side of his. "It's okay though, if you don't."

"It's so stupid," he chuckled grimly, shaking his head again. "After the…the beating, I couldn't…couldn't sleep, like ever. Just the same old nightmare. And it's really stupid because it was 6 years ago."

"No," I said, relaxing my grip on him. "It's not even close to stupid, Greg."

He turned and looked at me, his eyes widening. "What the hell happened to your lip?" I looked down, not wanting to make him feel bad. "Did someone hit you?"

I knew he was asking because we hadn't even spoken once he got home, and of course he wouldn't have seen it if it _was _cut up then. "No," I said, shaking my head. "No one hit me intentionally, okay? Don't worry about it."

"Who hit you?" he growled, his brown eyes looking furious as they stared deeply into mine. "Lexi, just give me a name. Please."

"No one," I said, rolling over so I was facing away from him. "God, I ran into a door, okay?"

"That is the crappiest excuse I've ever heard. And the blood looks too fresh," he retorted, forcefully grabbing my arm and flipping me around. "Who did it?"

"You didn't mean to you, you were asleep!" I admitted, holding my hands in front of my face. I didn't think he would hit me, but considering the fact that he was crouching over me like he was and he looked that angry, I couldn't really help but cover my face.

"Oh my God," he uttered, letting go of me and backing away. "Oh my God."

"You were asleep!" I assured him, sitting up. He shook his head and backed into the wall, his hands raking through his hair as he slid against it, falling to the floor. "You really, really didn't mean to."

"Doesn't change the fact that I did!" he snapped, and I pursed my lips. "What have I done…"

"Nothing," I assured him, rolling out of bed and sitting on the ground next to him. "You haven't done anything. Really, Greg, you were totally not paying attention to a goddamn thing."

He reached out a shaky hand, touching my stomach. "I can't…can't keep putting you two through this."

"You're not putting us through anything," I said quietly, scooting closer and running my lips along his jaw line. He jerked away, trying to distance himself from me. "I swear."

"Can't do this…such an ass…" he mumbled, standing up and digging through his drawers. I watched in shock as he threw all of his clothes in a duffel bag, not looking at me the entire time. "I refuse to put you guys through this."

"Greg," I whispered, pursing my lips. "Don't."

"I can't do this shit to you guys!" he shouted, and I jumped slightly. He paused and took a deep breath, the grip on the bag tight. "I'm sorry, Lexi. I…need to breathe."

And with that he zipped up the bag and headed down the staircase, not looking back. I struggled to stand up with my now enlarged stomach, and when I did, followed him down the staircase. He had reached the front door, and was unlocking it quickly. "Greg," I said sharply, and he slowly turned around to meet my eyes. "You said you wouldn't leave. You promised."

My reminder appeared to pain him, and he closed his eyes. "I know what I promised," he said, shaking his head. "And I think I've given you a promise I can't keep."

"Greg!" I called, and he marched right out the front door, into the darkness that was 9 o clock at night, just 2 hours before he was supposed to go to work. "God dammit, Greg!"

He threw his bag in the passenger seat, and looked up at me as he was about to get in the car. "I love you, Lexi."

And he shut the door, backing out of the driveway quickly. I watched in disbelief, standing barefoot in the doorway, as he drove off down the street. I quietly closed the door, swallowed hard, and marched back up the stairs to our bedroom. And then the thoughts hit me.

My room. He wasn't here.

My baby. He wasn't _going _to be there.

My house. He didn't live there.

My life. He wasn't a part of it.

Lexi. Not Lexi and Greg, or Greg and Lexi. No, now it was Lexi. Lexi and her baby because the kid's father was too much of a jerk to stick around and take care of it.

I crawled underneath the covers, and for once in a very long time, was completely and utterly _alone._

…_..._

The ringing was annoying me, and I rolled over and covered my ears with the pillow. I was so _sick _and tired and of everyone calling me to ask where Greg was that shift. I understood that they expressed concern, but I wanted to shove their concern in a dark closet and lock the door. I had been listening to the phone ring off the clock fir the past 3 hours, and couldn't bare to hear another thing. There was a knocking noise from downstairs, and I ignored it. If it was a robber or some serial killer, he could just shoot me now and put me out of my pain.

"Greg? G, you home?" Nick's voice called, and I pulled the covers over my messy hair and tear-soaked pillow, hoping to avoid him coming up here and forcing me to look and talk to him properly since the incident in Arizona. "Greggo, man, you here?"

"Hey man, I'm coming up, okay?" Nick shouted again, and I listened to my own ragged and shaky breathing as his footsteps climbed up the stairs slowly, until they reached my doorway. "Lexi? What happened?"

I could hear the concern in his voice, and I wanted so badly to tell him everything, but the lump in my throat was preventing that. "Come on, Lex. Was Greg just really late for work or something? Everyone's been worried sick, Russell sent me over here." I shook my head, hoping to at least give him that. "Then where is he?"

I shrugged, a sob escaping my lips. I pulled it back in, trying to force it back down my throat. "You can tell me, Lex. Really. I'll go and get him if you just tell me where he is."

"I don't know," I cried, unable to contain tears as I buried my head further into the pillow. "He left, dammit!"

Nick froze, and there was a silence between us, not counting my sobs. "When?" he questioned, and it was like he had snapped into CSI mode. "When did he leave?"

"A few hours ago," I sniffled, still not looking at him. "Around nine."

"He didn't say where he was going?" Nick asked, and I shook my head.

"He had a nightmare, he accidentally hit me-" I began, rolling over and revealing my lip. It was a hundred percent accidental and clearly out of his control at the time, I knew that.

"Guys just don't accidentally hit their girlfriends," Nick interrupted, clenching his fists together. "That stupid bastard, when I get ahold of him…"

"No!" I cried, touching my stomach subconsciously. "No, it wasn't his fault. Not at all. He hit me in his sleep, like sleepwalking. And he got really upset about it and said he needed to breathe…so he took off." I paused, rubbing my temples. "Things have been great. His mom's even in town. I just don't understand why he was angry and annoyed all of a sudden."

Nick's face fell, and he nodded slowly. "I do," he admitted, scratching the back of his head nervously. "There's been this serial killer case at work, he was originally the lead. Russell pulled him off though, which is why he's been all irritated. He was really doing a great job, it just got far more serious than anyone expected," He paused, and looked at me. "No excuse for leaving you though. I'm gonna find him Lex, bring his ass home. Just you wait."

And with that, Nick leaned down and gave me a hug, and I couldn't quite look him in the eye. "Just hang in there, kiddo."

"Thanks," I croaked, lying back down and closing my eyes. "But I'm coming back to work tomorrow."

"What?" he exclaimed, and he was now halfway to the bedroom door. "No way in hell. You need rest, you need to clear your head."

"Keeping me cooped up in this room, with his stuff…it won't do any of that," I said quietly. "I need to come back. A week and half has been more than enough to get over Emerie."

"Hodges told me you were a wreck," Nick snapped, crossing his arms. "And I refuse to let you back like that. Because you're going to be even worse without Greg."

"I…I think he'll come back," I whispered as Nick reached the doorway. I saw him stop, and turn to answer, but he turned around and walked out the door. I reached for my phone, considering calling Greg, but I put it back down. I knew talking to him would really screw me up, especially if he said he wasn't coming back.

But my phone did ring, and I looked at the caller ID. I instantly picked it up, pressing it to my ear intently. "Smith."

"Auntie Lexi!" someone giggled, and I recognized the voice as Drew's. "Daddy said we should call and tell you we love you!"

"Is that really what your daddy said?" I laughed dryly, grinning. "That's the only reason you called?"

"And Daddy heard that Sanders has skipped town," Kyle said, and my heart ran cold. "He called to make sure you were still hanging in there."

"Greg hasn't skipped town," I said, gripping the phone so tightly my knuckles turned an off shade of white that scared me. "He's taking a breather."

"That's not what he told me," Kyle said seriously, and I heard the phone click off of speaker. "He called me, around ten. And he asked me how stubborn you could be, and whether or not you'd take him back if he came crawling home because he messed up." I waited with held breath and surprise. "I told him probably, but maybe not, if he'd screwed up that bad."

"Why…why would he call you?" I wondered aloud, and there was yelling the background.

"I gotta go," Kyle said, but he sounded more excited than nervous. "Kristen just took another damn pregnancy test…4 times this month, once every Sunday."

"Let me know if it's good news," I said quietly. "Bye."

I hung up before he could respond, tossing my phone onto the nightstand and covering my face with my hands.

He wasn't coming back.

…

"_I love you," Greg whispered, leaning over me and unbuttoning my shirt. "So, so much. Just remember that, alright?"_

"_Why remember it if you can tell me that every single day?" I asked breathlessly, screwing with his tie. "Huh?"_

_He froze, and stopped messing with my shirt. "Because we put our lives in danger every single day," he reminded me, and just laid down next to me, and I forgot about his tie. "And who knows, maybe there will come a day where I don't come home from work to you and the baby."_

_He leaned down and kissed my stomach gently, and butterflies erupted. "Well, in that case," I noted, flipping over so I was on top of him. "What the hell are you waiting on?"_

I stared at my reflection in the window of the glass on the door of the Crime Lab. I wanted so badly to just walk in and see Greg standing there by his locker and smiling like a goof. I pushed the memory and thought away, pulling the door open and entering. Judy shot me a bright smile, and I returned it, walking past reception and into the break room, popping my head in. Morgan and Ryan were arguing about something most likely stupid and unimportant, Sara and Nick were laughing so hard they could barely breath, and Finn was playing solitaire by herself. Russell was pacing back and forth anxiously on the phone.

He sighed with relief suddenly. "Where the hell are you?" he snapped, a rare moment of him not being completely calm. He looked up and saw me standing in the doorway, and promptly took his phone call into the other room.

"Hey!" Nick greeted, waving towards me. I was met with sympathetic smiles from around the table, and I just smiled briefly to avoid the overwhelming looks. "How are you doing?"

"It was selfish and idiotic!" Russell yelled form the hallway, and I flinched.

"Charlie," Finn explained shortly, and I nodded, looking back at them. "You ready for an excited serial?"

"Of course!" I said enthusiastically, grinning widely. "What's the status? How many dead? His style? Give me clues here."

"You're letting everyone down here," Russell's voice said, traveling through the lab. "You're being irresponsible. I know that she'll let you back."

"6 dead," Nick groaned, shaking his head and clearly ignoring Russell's phone conversation. "And he's into shipping parts of the body to their house."

"That's awful," I said, frowning. "People's judgment never ceases to surprise me. Is he targeting a certain gender, race maybe?"

"Well, you're really going to hate this," Morgan spoke up, pursing her lips. "Petite women, and they're all blonde."

I nodded numbly, and Ryan sighed. "This doesn't mean you're a target. Besides those characteristics, I would have thought they were all selected at random, honestly."

"Are they though?" I asked, pondering my own question. "Who's to say that they aren't all ex-girlfriends of this dude?"

"It's always possible," Sara considered, but shook her head. "However, I really just don't think this is one of those cases. You should see the body parts he's sent. It's disgusting."

"Show me then," I said simply, and they all looked around at each other. "What? I can handle it. Jesus, I'm a grown woman."

"We know, Lex," Sara grumbled, standing up and leading me towards the evidence room. I followed her in, where pictures were laid out along the table. Pictures of body parts in boxes. I groaned and looked at a couple of them. An arm, a foot, a leg, a hand, part of a torso, and lastly, a head. The head was a blonde woman, and I suspected she was probably very pretty before being chopped to pieces. "The rest of the bodies remain unfound."

"Damn," I breathed, looking at the scattered pictures. "That is thoroughly barf worthy." Sara seemed to step away from em cautiously, and I cracked a smile. "I can still joke around, you know."

"I know, but you're pregnant," she chuckled, raising an curious eyebrow. "And you've got to be stressing out, what with Greg leaving and your poor friends Emerie…"

"We're both doing great," I said brightly, motioning to my stomach. "Greg is always welcome back if he's ready to be a man and get over this stupid fear of hurting one of us. It was an accident."

"I'm sure it was," Sara agreed, taking a deep breath. "He's just been under a lot of stress and pain with this case. They're all so much like you, and I really think it was getting to him. Which is why he was taken him off, but that just made him angrier and quite honestly, I'm surprised he didn't leave any earlier this week than that."

I gaped at her. "Are you saying that you're not surprised Greg left?"

"I am," she confirmed, and I shook my head. "It was a tough week, one little nightmare about that was more than enough to throw him over the edge, Lexi."

"He'll come back," I murmured, but I was really telling myself that more than Sara. "You're his best friend, and even you have to think he'll come back. Right?"

"If he is smart, then yes," she said through gritted teeth. "I'm fairly positive Archie has been trying to track his cell phone all night."

"I love him," I said quietly to myself. "And I don't want to let anything change or ruin that."

"You shouldn't," Sara said, patting my shoulder and leaving me alone in the evidence room. I prayed that Greg would just give me a call, tell me he was okay and that he had taken the time to breathe. He had promised me he'd come back.

And if he didn't, then I would leave too.

….

"Lexi?" Mrs. Sanders voice called form outside the front door. I sighed and got up, but she let herself in. "Lexi, oh God, it' so good to see you right now."

"Likewise," I said groggily, and she enveloped me in a tight huge. "It's nice to see you too, Mrs. Sanders."

"I am so sorry about Gregory," she said, leading me over to the couch. "He is such a worrier, and of course it was over something so miniscule and ridiculous."

"I know, I know," I said quietly, leaning back and taking a deep breath. "Look, I know your heart's in the right place, but I honestly need sleep right now."

"I didn't come to bother you, Lexi," she assured me, sitting up and heading into my kitchen. "He called me."

I became more alert, staring at her curiously. "What do you mean he called you?"

"He called me from his phone," she said dryly, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "He said he didn't know how he would ever come back knowing he hurt you."

She paused, looking up at me. "He has decided to keep his distance for now. But I'm here for you, sweetie, don't you worry about that."

"Thanks," I mumbled quietly, lying down on the couch and closing my eyes. "The baby and I really need some rest, Mrs. Sanders."

"Call me Kara," she said sternly, and I smiled despite my closed eyes. "How about I hang around and do some laundry for you three?"

"Alright," I sighed, trying to clear my mind as I listened to her bustling around busily.

"_Try it," Austin urged, pushing the bottle closer to me. "Just a little. You'll like it."_

"_No way," I laughed, shaking my head and shoving it back towards him. He sighed and took another swig, lying back down. "Where are you headed?"_

"_UCLA," he answered, gazing up at the sky with his hands resting behind his head. "You still dead set on heading to Stanford?"_

"_Yeah," I said, nodding and feeling the tension between us. "You gonna come back to this place eventually?"_

"_I'm gonna go wherever the hell life takes me," he chuckled modestly, his perfect features shining in the moonlight. "Is it fair enough to say you're not coming back?"_

"_Pretty much," I confirmed, and he took a deep breath. "Your parents are okay with your choice?"_

"_Dad would have much rather had me pick Oregon than UCLA," he confessed quietly. "But Mom likes the fact that I'm close to home."_

"_I think mine's happy I'm getting further away than UCLA or USC," I laughed tensely, and Austin pressed the bottle into my hands. For once, I let the alcohol slide down my throat, a small burning sensation following. I gave it back to him, and he rolled over so he was facing me. "Hmm?"_

"_I…just really want the best for you," he admitted, his eyes darting between my lips and eyes. "And I wish you could have come to UCLA with me. But I get why you need space."_

"_You ever think that I focus too much on the future?" I murmured, my own eyes tracing his lips and facial features, something I would have loved to paint._

"_I think that when we're born, we're handed a life. We live and we die. What we choose to do between them defines our enthusiasm to live every day to the fullest. What we don't do is what classifies our caution of whether or not we have permission to walk this planet with the upmost confidence."_

"_Christ," I said, stunned. "That's very philosophical and smart."_

"_It's just…true," he said with a shrug, and I smirked._

"_And you do think too much in the future," he whispered, his warm breath that smelled of peppermint hitting my face and tingling everywhere. "All that matters is here and now."_

_And with that, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine, flipping over and posting his arms on either side of my body. I kissed him back, raking my hands through his hair as he ran his hands up my shirt._

_He pulled away, his breathing hard and unsure. I looked at him with fixed eyes, locked with his intensely. He moved in closer, not breaking eye contact, and kissed the top of my head. _

"_I'm gonna miss you," he breathed, pulling his hands out from underneath my shirt. "And I'm really sorry for everything I did to you in the past."_

"_I love you."_

_I laid in stunned silence, and he just wrapped his arms around me and cried. His tears soaked my hair and I was very stiff and unsure of what I should do for a minute, and after a moment I just told him it was okay. He cried about Monique Deleray and how much he knew he'd fucked up and had never meant to do that to someone. And I believed him._

I jerked awake, only to see Kara watching TV from the other couch as she sipped some coffee. I closed my eyes again and let my mind drift off to a place where there was no Austin Fox and he wasn't the first guy to ever break my heart. I thought back to what I'd name the baby to keep my mind off of things, but a lump formed in my throat stubbornly as I thought of Greg not being there with me to think and talk about his. And it thoroughly killed me.

I just wanted my boyfriend home.

**A/N: YAYYY! YOU REACHED 40 REVIEWS! FINALLY!**

**You can totally thank a new reviewer, victoriaisthewarrior, for this chapter being up! I apologize to Viperthediceroller I was slower than expected on putting the chapter up today.:p**

**And um, K.L., sorry, because I know you just got done hating Greg.**

**REVIEWWWW!**

**Review goal: 46. Sorry if its high. D:**

**Man I missed you guys though! My basketball season is halfway through and I started traveling after that but I'm ready to get back into some TEA! **


	11. 42

**A/N: Don't own CSI.:)**

The bar was packed.

Nick and Hodges pushed their way through impatiently, Hodges ten times angrier than Nick could ever be. It'd been 2 weeks and they'd gotten nowhere with their serial killer case, considering that they were short staffed. Lexi had been forced to attend her latest prenatal appointment by herself, something that forced her to come back to work a hot mess.

"You see him anywhere?" Hodges asked Nick irritably, crossing his arms as they stopped in front of the stripper poles. "Because if he's screwing around with other women behind Lexi's back, I swear to God-"

"He's not," Nick snapped, cutting him off quickly. "Greg is smarter than that."

"There he is," Hodges spoke up, pointing to the young man sitting in a bar stool and sipping at his beer impatiently, as if he was waiting on something.

"Hey!" Nick said loudly, jerking him by the back of his shirt. Greg nearly fell off the stool, but somehow regained balance as he gripped his beer like it was a lifeline. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Drinking," Greg croaked in response, taking another swig. "What about you?"

"Taking you home," Hodges threw in, and pulled Greg by his arm towards the bars door. "What the hell were you thinking, Sanders?"

"Get off!" Greg shouted drunkenly, throwing his arm in the air to shake off Hodges. He did, forcing the man to stumble backwards and look at Nick for assistance.

"You're going to my house tonight," Nick explained quietly to Greg, patting his shoulder. "Then you're gonna go home and see Lexi."

Greg's face melted into one of pure melancholy. "She won't take me back," he said sadly, scratching the back of his head. "I know she won't."

"She's in her 5th month of pregnancy, Greg," Nick informed him sternly as he guided him out of the bar. "You need to be there for her."

"I really do want to be," Greg rambled, practically yelling as they exited the bar. "But obviously I'm no good or nearly safe enough for her. What if I hit her again, Nicky?"

"You won't," he shrugged, opening the car door for him quickly. "You're going home. And shaving."

Greg methodically rubbed the stubble on his face before ducking and leaping into the backseat of the car as Nick and Hodges took the front seats. "What led you here?" Hodges asked curiously. "And where the hell have you been staying?"

"I've been at that motel down the street," Greg answered dryly, yawning pointedly. "The women and booze are great at that place."

It was very quick and possibly more or less painless, but Hodges leaned back and swiftly hit Greg square in the nose. He gripped it instantly, and Nick veered onto the side of the road quickly. "Hodges!" he yelled, pushing the man back in his seat. "What the hell was that for?"

"I would like to know that too!" Greg exclaimed, examining the blood on his hands.

"If you were cheating on her, you sick bastard, I swear-"

"I wasn't! I didn't!" Greg defended, holding his hands up. "I just watched! And besides, I was too drunk to see if someone was a man or a woman."

"You make me sick," Hodges spat, turning around in his seat. "I hope Lexi kicks your ass to the curb, Sanders."

"I do too," Greg sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples. "I already know I screwed up, it would be easier if she just let me leave."

"You never screwed up, Sanders!" Hodges yelled loudly, poking a finger in Greg's chest angrily. "You don't even know how lucky you are to have a girl like Lexi, and the fact that she's carrying your child! You son of a bitch!" He hit Greg's shoulder roughly, glaring at him intently. "The whole thing was an accident and you took it a step further just because work was hitting a bump in the road. You are such a selfish," he hit Greg again. "Immature," Hit. "Bastard!"

"Stop!" Nick roared, grabbing Hodges arm and throwing him against the shut door. "Enough!"

"Just because you're jealous," Greg sneered to Hodges, crossing his arms. "You wish you had her."

There was a deafening silence as they all stared at each other. "Bye," Hodges said shortly, opening the door and standing on the side of the road. "I'll walk."

"Hey, get back in," Nick sighed, rolling his eyes. "Seriously."

"Have fun, you two," Hodges replied, storming off down the street. Greg and Nick exchanged a look of irritation before Nick agreed to drive off towards his house, leaving Hodges to walk home alone.

And on a Friday night in downtown Vegas, that was one of the worst decisions he could have made.

…

Lexi POV

My eyes snapped open at the sound of knocking on the door, and I gripped my stomach. Rolling out of bed at newly 5 months pregnant, I waddled down the stairs as quickly as I could.

I tossed the sweater Kara had bought me before she left, and headed for the door. Everything in the house was cold at 5 am, including the damned doorknob, which made me pull my hand back in surprise, I sucked it up and carefully opened the door, looking behind the see through screen to see if I could spot anyone.

"Lexi," Nick's voice said, and I squinted my eyes throughout the darkness. I flicked on the porch light switch, and Nick's face suddenly came into view. "Hey."

"Hi there," I said dryly, clearing my throat and crossing my arms. "Any reason why you woke me up so early on my night off?"

"I have a surprise for you," he replied happily, walking around the corner and pulling someone by their sleeve. My eyes widened in shock as I was greeted by a nervous looking Greg.

He had his hands stuffed in his pockets and eyes glued to the ground, and he smelled strongly of a delicious aftershave that I could smell from miles away, something caused my dread that I'd never smell it again. His hair was sticking out in an assortment of places, and his shirt was wrinkled yet still smelled of laundry detergent.

"Look, Greggo here thinks that you're not willing to take him back, and-"

I ignored Nick, racing out of my house and enveloping Greg in a tight hug, tears falling from my eyes freely. He stood in surprise, then wrapped his arms around me slowly, gripping onto my small frame tightly. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, his breath smelling strongly of Altoids. "I fucked up, Lexi, I really did."

I nodded, a feeling of lightheadedness taking over my body. I fell slightly limp, Greg holding me up tightly. "Get her to bed, Greg," Nick instructed, and Greg wordlessly picked me up, toting me into our house. I let him tuck me underneath the covers, and watched in curiosity as he stood at the foot of the bed and hesitated.

"Come on," I croaked, patting his side. He nodded and tossed off his shirt, lying down next to me. I took a deep breath, inhaling his scent carefully and slowly. He placed a hand on my rather large bump, rubbing it cautiously. "You didn't mean to, baby. It was an accident."

"It had been a rough week," he murmured, and in perfect synchronization, his hand stopped as something fluttered inside my stomach. His eyes widened, and mine did too. The flutter was more distinct as it felt more like a hit from the inside of my stomach, and I laughed in sheer happiness. "Oh my God, Lexi, what's going on? Are you okay? Do we need to take you to the hospital?"

I laughed harder, shaking my head and gasping for air. "No, no, she's kicking," I said breathlessly, and realizing what I had just said, I covered my mouth. Greg gaped at me wordlessly, and I closed my mouth, gulping. "Dammit."

"It's…it's a girl?" he asked, his jaw hanging open. I swallowed and nodded in confirmation. "When did you find this out?"

"I'm 19 weeks along, Greg," I reminded him, my eyes drifting across his bare chest. "I found out last appointment. Let's just say that your mother can be very persuasive."

He was silent for a moment, and all of a sudden, his face broke into this huge grin, and he leapt into me kissing me firmly and hurriedly, smiling into the whole thing. I was taken aback, and when he pulled away, I quirked an eyebrow. "I love you. And her."

I could hear myself laughing and nodding for no reason, and Greg followed suit, collapsing next to me. He traced his fingers across my stomach carefully, a grin still apparent on his face. "You're not too disappointed, are you?"

"Not at all," he promised, kissing my stomach. "Hey there, sweetie."

"They say that the more you talk to them, the more they can recognize your voice when they're born," I informed him, watching intently as his eyes were fixed on the big bump. "I believe it."

"I do too," he agreed, and smirked. "How about we turn on some Manson, kiddo?"

"No!" I said quickly, and Greg glanced between me and the stereo. "That is not kid appropriate."

"And I supposed Eminem is?" he countered, and I jumped off the bed just as he did, both of us racing towards the stereo. "Hey, you're a cheater!"

"Am not!" I declared, picking up the Marilyn Manson CD and stuffing it in the drawer behind me. Greg grinned and wrapped his arms around me, moving me away from the stuff. "This is sexual harassment."

"I have missed you so much," he breathed, our faces inches apart now. "I am such an idiot. I was just getting freaked out with the serial killer case and all. And when I hit you, it just…."

"It's okay," I assured him, running a hand through his hair. "Really."

"I'm never leaving again," he promised to my stomach, his hands roaming around underneath my shirt. "Never ever again will daddy break his promise and screw with mommy's head."

"Big words for a baby to comprehend," I murmured, my forehead pressing against his. "But she forgives you."

"I wasn't thinking, Lex. I was such an ass," he mumbled, shaking his head as a teardrop slipped down his cheek. "I understand if you don't trust me anymore, but-"

"We all make mistakes," I said quietly, noting that his hands had stopped moving around. "You made yours. I still trust you."

"Mommy is a very forgiving person," Greg chuckled, leaning down and pressing his lips to my stomach. I grinned widely, and he suddenly leaped up, capturing my lips with his once again. "How's work been?"

"Still working on that serial," I answered, and he bit his lip nervously. "I have a theory that the women are all connected."

"Well of course they are," Greg laughed, shaking his head. "They all got murdered by some douche."

"I don't think their murderer is the connection," I disagreed, shaking my head and scrunching my eyebrows. "I think that there's something else."

"How many women so far?" he sighed, pursing his lips.

"8 now," I replied, biting the inside of my cheek. "We'll catch him, baby."

"I'll be damned if we don't."

The phone rang loudly on the nightstand next to his side. He groaned and reached over, sticking the phone to his ear. "Sanders."

There was rapid talking from the other end, and Greg's eyes widened, and he stood up from the edge of the bed. As the voice spoke incoherently and quickly, Greg was throwing a shirt on and nodding worriedly. Finally he hung up, screwing with his tie. "What's going on?" I asked anxiously, and he closed his eyes.

"They got him."

"Who?"

"The serial killer."

…

I hurried into the evidence room, looking around quickly. "Where is he?" I asked worriedly, and Nick, who was leaning against a wall with Sara right next to him, let out a breath that I had a feeling he'd been holding in for a while now. "Where'd they find him? What grounds do we have to arrest him?" He looked up at me, and rubbed his forehead in frustration. "_What's going on?_"

"We, Sara and I, had been tracking down the man by the name of Johnny Rowe, and as soon as we thought we had him…" he groaned, and Sara pursed her lips as she stared at the floor. "We didn't have any grounds to arrest him. It was the wrong Johnny Rowe."

"Oh," I breathed, and looking at Greg next to me. He glanced nervously at the rest of us, as if waiting to say something. "What's our next move then?"

"You go back home and sleep," Sara spoke up, nodding to herself. "You need it right now, Lexi."

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," I assured her, and her gaze fell on Greg. There was a long, long moment where she simply glared at him with pure hatred and anger.

"You're a son of a bitch, Greg," Sara said through clenched teeth as her hands balled into fists. "Thinking you could just walk out on a baby." We were all silent, and Greg only nodded, like he was just going to take it. "You're lucky she took you back."

"We're moving on," I spoke up, raising an eyebrow at her. "All of us."

She walked across the room, and at first I thought she was going to hit someone or something. But then she wrapped her arms around Greg and hugged him tight, and he hugged her back. And it hurt because they were both crying, and my heart ached because I knew that it was a friendship with so much baggage that I couldn't carry. I would never really understand it, but them hugging and crying almost made it okay because there were certain things I didn't want to be involved in when it came to Greg's life.

When they pulled apart, Sara ruffled his hair in an adoration sort of way that I couldn't really describe. I looked at Nick, who still seemed focused on his frustration from earlier. I looked back at Sara and Greg and felt a smile twist onto my lips when they started laughing.

"So, you guys," Greg said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and biting his lip with a smirk. "Lex and I have some news."

Nick looked up, like it was the first time he'd heard his own name in years. "What news now?" he groaned, closing his eyes.

"We're having a girl," I announced happily, grinning over at Greg. He was smiling at the floor as Sara clamped a hand over her mouth in surprise, rushing forward and jumping into him, and then pulling me into their hug.

"When did you find this out?" she gasped, appearing to be excited. "And why are we just now hearing about this?"

I shrugged. "I found out at my last appointment. I didn't know if Greg was coming back, and Mrs. Sanders is very convincing."

"That's wonderful!" she squealed, and hit Greg's arm. "You're gonna have a daddy's girl!"

"Yeah, I know," he chuckled, glancing around the lab. "Let's keep that in this room until we tell everyone else, because for now we need to catch the real serial killer, right?"

"Right," she confirmed, just as Henry hurried in. "Results?"

"You're not gonna believe this," he said, shaking his head at the papers in his hands. "Each of the body parts has different DNA and all, but…" he pursed his lips. "Each body part is related. As in, they're all cousins."

"What?" Nick snapped, his head jerking up in our direction. "What do you mean they're all cousins?"

"Stephanie Mayburry is the only CODIS hit I could get. And she is the owner of the ankle," Henry explained, and handed Nick one of the papers. "While her cousin, Melissa Salas, is the owner of the arm. All the other body parts? Same amount of epithilials in common as Melissa and Stephanie, it confirms that they're cousins."

"Christ," Greg moaned, raking a hand through his hair. "He's after a family or something then. Great."

"Hey," Russell sighed, entering the room and leaning against the side of the doorway. "How's everyone doing?"

"Fantastic!" I said happily, and clapped my hands together. "Besides this serial killer drama, everything has been wonderful. Things are going to get better, guys."

Nick coughed and looked away, but I saw the smile he was trying to hide. He leaned over and said something in Greg's ear, and they both started busting up laughing. I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrows, clenching my jaw. Their lines of vision fell on me, and they immediately looked away and played dumb. "Alright then," Russell chuckled unsurely, quirking an eyebrow of his own. "We got another body part, you guys."

Nick's former smirk disappeared, and he suddenly turned to pure fury. "Who's family?"

"The sister of Stephanie Mayburry," Russell replied, and turned to Henry. "Sorry, Henry, but your theory was incorrect."

"Oh- okay," Henry said nervously, backing out of the room. "I'm just gonna head on out, you guys."

"Bye, Henry," I called, waving to the poor lab rat. "He was really trying to get that one right too."

"What the hell do you think he's going for?" Sara asked, throwing her hands in the air. "And what body part did you receive now?"

"A head," Russell gulped, and for once, he looked thoroughly unsure and anxious. "It's escalating in a hurry."

"No kidding," Greg breathed, glancing between Nick and Russell. "What's our next step?"

"I don't…I don't know," Russell decided honestly, taking a deep breath. "I wish I did though."

"Can we see the package at least?" Greg asked, looking up at his supervisor for the for the first time since he came back. He'd spoken to him, just a second prior, but I didn't think Russell had processed the fact that was there.

And with eyes that radiated irritation and annoyance, Russell looked at Greg sternly. "Welcome back," he said stiffly, and stormed out.

….

"Ooh, that's a good name," I acknowledged, looking through the book still. Greg's mom had given it to me after the prenatal appointment, along with a small pink hat Nana Olad had knitted.

"_She made one in pink and one in blue," she had said, reaching out and placing the hat in my hands. "She really does have the touch."_

Greg leaned over and looked down at the book, and frowned at what I had highlighted, the cap of the marker still bitten down between my teeth as I studied with deep concentration. "No way in hell," he said, shaking his head and returning to what he had been reading. "We will not name our daughter Ellen."

"Oh why not?" I laughed, pulling the cap out of my mouth and looking at his own reading material. "Dear God, are you reading a Parent magazine?"

He jumped, shutting the magazine before stuffing it underneath his pillow in a hurry. "Um, no," he stammered, looking away. "I was not."

"It's alright," I chuckled, lying my head on his shoulder. "You're curious, I get it."

"That was my dad's opening line for the safe sex talk, ironically," Greg mumbled, and I began to laugh, only to stop suddenly when I felt the baby kick again. "What? What's wrong?"

"Just our little Ellen," I cooed, only to earn Greg rolling his eyes. "Someone's such a sweet little girl, aren't you?"

"Quit it," Greg ordered, propping his pillow downwards and taking cover underneath the extra blankets I made him put on there(my feet had been freezing for a week). "Remember that crazy ex-girlfriend of mine that tried to get me killed? Well her name was Ellen, and my daughter is not going to be some physcopathic man user."

"Okay, okay," I snickered, closing the book myself. "What names do you like then? Because every single one I bring up you don't like. Alyssa, Makaylee, Tristan, and now Ellen."

"How about one that has nothing at all to do with my past?" Greg suggested, clicking off the bedside lamp next to him. "I dated an Alyssa, Bree named her second daughter Makaylee, and Tristan is the name of the woman my dad had an affair with."

There was a silence as I clicked off my own light, closing my eyes. "So that's where the problem lies," I concluded through the darkness. "Your dad had an affair."

"With some lazy secretary," Greg scoffed, shaking his head. "It was so stupid. My mother was nothing but good to him, and that was how he repaid her."

"They're still together, and that's all that matters, right?" I confirmed, and he shrugged.

"It's not the same, and it never will be," he stated roughly, running another hand through his hair. "When I was younger, he used to take me out on boats and it would just be the two of us. We'd catch some salmon, or whatever was in season at the time, and you know what he would tell me?"

"What?"

"That this was our trophy, and we were bringing home the gold for mom," he chuckled, his voice cracking. "We were the breadmakers, and that even when my mom got really protective, we still loved her." He choked out a small sob, and I realized that there had been more than this case that was eating him alive the past few weeks. "He lied."

"I'm sorry," I whispered, kissing his collarbone slowly, working my way along his neck. "It wasn't your fault that he did that stuff, Greg."

"No, I know it wasn't, it's just that…" he trailed off, suddenly flipping over to face me. "It pissed me off for two weeks knowing I had almost screwed things up with you."

"Greg, sometimes you have to get over things and move on," I murmured, our faces deadly close. "This is one of those times. It's not like you to get overwhelmed and take off."

"But I did," he groaned, his breath tickling my ears and making goosebumps form on every square inch of my face. "I did. And it's never happening again. Because I really wish I could have been there when you found out we were having a girl."

"It's not a big deal," I whispered, and he bent down, lips pressing against my forehead gently. "Really. And now we have a little girl to plan for!"

"Lucky you, you know Morgan's gonna throw you a baby shower," he chuckled, lying back down as close to me as he could get. "Sucks for you."

"No, she won't," I mumbled, wrapping a blanket around me as close as I could. "No baby showers. I refuse to put myself and the baby through such torture."

"Why do you act like they're trying to kill you?" he laughed, reaching around for my hand and successfully grabbing my boob. "Sorry."

"Yeah, sure," I teased, reaching out and taking his hand. "Common guy mistake, right?"

"Hey, those things are a hell of a lot bigger than when I left!" he claimed, holding his hands up in defense. I blushed, something he sensed, sending him into laughter. "We really should go to sleep."

"There's a lot of things people should do and they don't," I reminded him, and he turned over, pointedly hinting to sleep. "Fine, fine."

And as I slipped into a deep sleep, there was a loud crash. My eyes flew open, and all breath evacuated my lungs as something hard and heavy crashed into my head.

I groaned, and despite Greg's calling for me, let myself slip into the darkness that was enticing me with every shaky breath I took.

And I let there be no light.

**A/N: Awww, who's evil? I AM!**

**So my email got hacked and I can't get in to change the password now. I'm like seriously distraught about this and I NEED HELP! I go through for email and I know that you guys can help! If anyone has any clue how to reactivate and "inactive" att account, it would seriously help! Please let me know!**

**Also, you guys had met the reviewing goal, but I'm updating today because it is exactly ONE MONTH from my 14****th**** BIRTHDAY! Yeah, yeah, I know, only 13 or whatever, but still, the big ONE FOUR is in a month! **

**New CSI was fab. No episode next week? Sigh. CBS, what'll we do with you?**

**Also, reaching out to Katheryne because you never emailed me back on Christmas. I hope you're doing well, PM me so we can talk since my email's being stupid!**

**Anyone that has a twitter, feel free to follow me! morganbeth13! **

**My season ends February 13****th****, and if you remember me posting about this when I was doing the Newbie, my court/restraining order drama should finish up on Valentines Day, so between the end of February and beginning of March, I'm gonna focus on TEA! I'm still finishing chapter 15**

**Review goal? 52! Get there, I know you can do it! **

**Much love to everyone! **


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